Manchester United defender, Nemanja Vidic, says the club have what it takes to turn their tie against Bayern Munich on its head.

United are currently trailing 2-1 in the tie and have been rocked by the news that their top scorer and best player, Wayne Rooney, will be out of action for about a month after spraining his ankle in Germany.

However, Vidic says there is a lot more togetherness in the team than many give the side credit for. He believes that ultimately it will be this team spirit, which helps get the side through some tough matches ahead.

He said: “We showed this season, we play as a team. It is not just about one man. Definitely Wayne Rooney has had a great season. He is unbelievable, one of the best in the world. But sometimes big players are missing, and others need to be ready.”

“Dimitar had a great game against Bolton on Saturday. He is a great footballer. He scored twice himself and can set up goals for other players as well. We have a good squad. We just need to believe in ourselves and believe in each other.”

“We had all night to think about what went wrong. It was not a great game for us. We should play better and we will need to play better against Chelsea. Sometimes when you lose a game and play badly you wake up and realise you need to improve.”

“I am not concerned. I was disappointed. But 2-1 is not that bad a result bearing in mind we still have a game at home and I expect us to be stronger.”

The scale of the task immediately in front of United may just be a little too big. It is ridiculous to say that the side can play with the same charisma and influence when Rooney isn’t in the side.

If this was the case, then Rooney would be able to sit on the bench for United a lot more often. This would have meant that he didn’t have to play in Germany and get injured.

They will miss him but the point is whether they can hang on by the skin of their teeth to a point where Chelsea do not sneak ahead of them and Bayern do not nip past them in the Champions League.

England will be happy because it means Rooney will get a nice one month break before the World Cup. This equipped with the fact Chelsea’s England players don’t have to play extra Champions League games could work well for the team.

However, the battle in the mind of many English fans will all be about United and Chelsea this weekend. Whoever wins this game will probably go onto win the title if all the other results go as intended.

Manchester United and England have been left sweating over the fitness of key striker, Wayne Rooney, after the front man got injured against Bayern Munich last night.

Rooney has picked up a knock to his right ankle and it looks set to keep him out of the Premier League clash against Chelsea at the weekend and the return game against Munich next Wednesday.

Rooney scored United’s away goal in Germany but his side later went on to lose 2-1 as Bayern managed to grab the winner with virtually the last kick of the game. The Rooney news just caps off a very bad evening for the United side.

Sir Alex Ferguson said: “Wayne has hurt his ankle, it’s too early to say the condition of it, but we will know tomorrow. I don’t think it is terribly serious. I don’t know. I can’t answer that [whether he’ll play against Chelsea].”

Munich’s coach added: “I don’t know if he is injured or how serious it is, but Rooney is United’s most important player. Look at the statistics. He has 34 goals this season. Then they have [Dimitar] Berbatov with 12 and then 11 own goals as their third top scorer, so that’s how important he is to United.”

If United were going to lose the game then they probably would have asked for a 2-1 loss. They have scored their away goal and they would back themselves to beat Bayern at Old Trafford.

However, United will face a much stronger side in the return game with a number of internationals and gifted players returning to the Munich side. Mario Gomez and Miroslav Klose will probably start the game and winger, Arjen Robben, will return.

The bitter pill is Rooney’s injury. United will hope it isn’t a bad one and predictions are that he will only be out for around a week. However, if it is a bad one, they will have to nurse him and he may start thinking about his summer with England.

Rooney is so important and has been the sole reason for much of the team’s recent success. The problem for United is how they are going to adapt their side to make up for the influence, which Rooney has in spades.

It means that Dimitar Berbatov will probably be given the sole responsibility of leading the United attack in at least their next two games. Many would argue that these next two games are the club’s biggest of the season.

It will not fill United fans with confidence as they have said so many times in the recent past that the Bulgarian does not do enough to pull his weight in the side. Rooney brought so much to the team that United will struggle greatly now he is out.

On the other hand there is a big opportunity for someone to come in and do the magic. United need someone to step up and they need that someone to do it right now.

Manchester United star striker, Wayne Rooney, has revealed the ways he gets rid of built up anger during training sessions and big games.

Rooney will lead the United attack when the side take on Bayern Munich in the Champions League. He seems to have changed a lot as a player from the days when he would race around the pitch constantly.

Rooney has said that his childhood love of boxing and other sports helps him to unwind after a stressful day at work. United will be hoping these new methods will see him translate his form into much needed Champions League goals.

He said: “I used to do boxing and football. I was training every night with one of them and when I got to about 15, Everton said I had to stop boxing if I wanted to carry on playing football.”

“I had a good chance of making the first team, so I stopped. I still love watching boxing. It is a big thing in my family. I can still do a bit now after training, but obviously not fighting. I enjoy it. It is a good way to get rid of some anger.”

Rooney’s manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, added ahead of tonight’s game: “The return of Ferdinand and Vidic to keep our back four solid is significant. Along with Edwin van der Sar there was a time when all those players were injured. It wasn’t easy and we were very fragile.”

“But you can see the solidity now. You can see the experience of these players and it is making a massive difference to the performances of the team. It is a true saying strong at the back, strong as a team. We are looking very strong now.”

“What is the old saying about people in glass houses? When Nemanja Vidic came off at half-time he had a lump on his head the size of an egg, his jaw was swollen and he had a black eye.”

United are very well placed and stand a very good chance of winning more than one trophy by the end of this season. A large part of that is down to Rooney and the club will be hoping his new de-stress techniques work.

Many predicted that the club would fall away after they sold Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid. However, interestingly, Rooney has scored more goals for United this season than Ronaldo has done at his new club.

He is still not close to Ronaldo’s club record of 42 goals in a single season but Rooney must be doing something right. He has take on all of the pressure and responsibility and risen to the challenge perfectly.

If he bags one, two or three in Germany then there will not be many English fans surprised at all. United would do well to put a punch bag somewhere in the dressing room to make sure they get the most from the scouse maestro.

Manchester United players, Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand, have declared themselves fit ahead of the club’s crucial week.

United take on Bayern Munich in the quarter final stage of the Champions League. United are looking to make it to their third final in the same amount of years and had been worrying over the fitness of both.

Rooney is likely to start in attack and play the game by himself while it is a little unclear over whether Ferdinand will take up his regular starting place along side Nemanja Vidic in the heart of the defence.

Ryan Giggs said: “I can’t believe it’s 11 years ago [since the two teams met]. It was one of the greatest nights of my life and for many fans too. This will bring back a lot of happy memories.”

“We will settle for the same score as in 1999 too but hopefully not leaving it as late as we did then. I am a little bit surprised about our overall record but it has always been tight. We have won the European Cup three times. They have won it on four occasions so you are talking about two clubs with massive history; full of experience and full of great players so hopefully it’s going to be a great spectacle.”

“The team we played against in 1999 was really powerful. It had strength all the way through. Now Bayern have a lot of trickery with Franck Ribery and Robben, and some other individual match-winners. But our European record in recent times has been good and if we play to the best of our ability we really fancy ourselves.”

United have focused a lot on the two Bayern wingers, which could pose them the greatest threat. There are no easy games at this stage of the competition and United are likely to adopt some very simple tactics.

Ribery and Robben will play on either wing and will swap over regularly. United are going to have to play two very wide players with a strong work ethic, as well as someone in the middle of the pitch who can double up.

This is the only way they will soak up Bayern’s attacking pressure. They have some very good players of their own, which they will be hoping the German side are worrying about.

There is a huge amount of pressure on Rooney to lead the front line in the same manner as he did in Italy, when United dumped out former European champions, AC Milan.

United would probably take a low scoring result right now if it meant that they managed to get an away goal in the bank. This is the most important thing they’ll have to achieve tomorrow night.

Bayern have to go for it on their own ground but this United team is wise and experienced enough to know how to handle this situation exactly. They will want to race into the final and win their fourth crown.

Manchester United veteran, Ryan Giggs, has vowed to help the club beat Liverpool this Sunday and win the title with a perfect run in.

Giggs was recently out of action when he broke his arm but Sir Alex Ferguson has already confirmed that the Welshman is expected to play some part in the huge game this weekend.

Giggs will bring an extra experience to the United team, which should help them get over any run in jitters. This is something that many have said Giggs keeps his place in the United side for.

He said: “We didn’t play well here last year against Liverpool and they deserved the victory. Hopefully that won’t be the same this week. It’s a massive game, purely because it is Liverpool. It is towards the end of the season so there is so much riding on it.”

“No matter how the teams are doing, it is just a massive rivalry because of the history between the two teams, they are two successful teams. There is lots of quality on the pitch so you know need to perform whether you are at Anfield or Old Trafford.”

“We let ourselves down last year. Hopefully that won’t be the case. We are in good form and scoring goals. As a United fan, for me it comes into it, growing up seeing Liverpool win everything.”

“We are trying to win the league this year and whatever records you break or whatever things you do in history comes after. At the moment you want to win the game to try and help you win the league.”

Although Manchester United have been playing fairly well in recent weeks, while Giggs has been injured, a large part of this is down to the goals of Wayne Rooney. It is too naïve to rely on one player and Giggs will probably be slotted straight back into the team.

He brings a calm to the United midfield, which is sometimes lacking and which is something that sometimes costs the team important goals. There is plenty of quality in the squad but in reflection sometimes you need a war horse to calm everything down.

The left winger and central midfield player does not seem to show any signs of slowing up either. His consistent weekly performances see, to earn him an ongoing contract at the club as he remains a valuable asset for Sir Alex Ferguson.

The one thing that Giggs has to be praised for is the passion he has. Many players would have retired at earlier stages in their career but Giggs will keep on going for some time yet.

There are key players that he will want to mould and shape to help the club and to help that particular player. Nani is one such example and if he turns out to be half the player Giggs is in a few years then the champions will be laughing.

Wayne Rooney has insisted that he has no goals target for Manchester United by the end of the current season.

Rooney really is the man of the moment and seems to score in pretty much every game that he plays. He helped United romp to a Champions League win over AC Milan and is now zoning in on the Premier League golden boot.

Rooney is very close to some of the targets that Ronaldo set during his best spells at United but the scouser says he does not have any figure in mind and is just taking one game at a time.

He said: “I am delighted to get two more goals but I have not set myself a target. I just want to keep scoring. Overall, it was a great result and we are delighted to get through. Now we can just look forward to the draw and see how it goes from there.”

“There is no preference. They are all difficult games at this stage of the competition. The first goal was vital. We set out to get an early goal to kill the game off and when we got it we shattered Milan’s confidence. That was the major turning point.”

United Chief Executive, David Gill, added: “Anyone who went on our tour of the Far East last summer knows the strength of feeling that Malaysians have for the club. Over 40,000 attended our training session and another 40,000 came to the second match in Kuala Lumpur, despite only having 48 hours’ notice of the fixture.”

Gill is speaking about the new reported sponsorship interest for United from the Far East. It may not be too long until Rooney could get a few deals out there too if he carries on laying the way he is.

There is no doubt about how important the striker is to the current team. It will not be too long before people bow down to Sir Alex Ferguson all over again and say that he was right all over again to let Ronaldo go in the first place.

Many said he had lost his marbles, said it was time for retirement but it seems to have been just the thing that United needed in order for Rooney to step to the front of the queue and be counted.

However, that decision cannot be fully judged until the end of the season has actually arrived and then everyone can see if United are holding a trophy or not.

Rooney is bound to play a big part in that and if he does keep on scoring goals, then United are bound to win something by the end of the season. Ferguson will know exactly how to nurse the player through the rest of the season.

Many criticised the gaffer for leaving Rooney on the bench during the Carling Cup final but it seemed the right thing to do because it inspired him, fired him up and probably went a small way to him bagging the winner.

Former professional football player, Tony Cascarino, has said that England will need Peter Crouch more than Wayne Rooney in South Africa this summer.

Crouch came off the bench to bag a brace in the win over Egypt on Wednesday night. His dominance and physical presence seemed to transform the fortunes of the England side on the field.

Rooney played from the start of the game and gave a typically busy performance, which was capped by a TV clip that showed the Manchester United front man yelling at the entire team in the first half.

Cascarino said: “Who’s the more important striker for England, Wayne Rooney or Peter Crouch? Guess again: it’s Crouch. I’d argue he’s England’s most important attacker – potentially the team’s most important player, in fact.”

“Not the best player, you understand; but there’s a difference between “best” and “most important”. Crouch is one of those players who can make the entire team more effective just by his presence. He’s not the most individually talented, he need not even have an especially good game; but as we saw on Wednesday, when he’s in the team, England are improved.”

“It’s because of what Crouch does to opponents – he scares defences who are intimidated by his height – and what he does to his own team-mates. He adds a dimension to England’s attacks that isn’t present when two small forwards such as Rooney and Jermain Defoe are up front. And by doing that, Crouch influences England as a whole, because they become less predictable and more confident, whether he’s seeing much of the ball or not.”

“There’s enough flair in the England side to create chances without a tall target man, but Crouch gives an extra option. Wingers can cut inside and pass short to onrushing midfield players such as Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard, or send over high crosses and feel optimistic Crouch will get on the end of the ball. They’ve got more choice when Crouch is there. And not being able to predict what will happen makes defences nervous and more vulnerable.”

It is highly debateable to say that Crouch is a better player than Rooney. Any football fan or pundit would pick the United striker ahead of the Spurs player. The point is that together they can become formidable.

Rooney has the work ethic and the skill to create something out of nothing while Crouch gives them something at the very top of the pitch. Just the sheer size of the Tottenham player makes him a daunting striker to play against.

The two need to combine and start working towards making England a threatening attacking team to play against. Teams have worked out how to play against Crouch but not when he has Rooney snapping at his heels as well.

Hopefully the two will bag enough goals to be able to send England into the later stages of the World Cup when literally any thing can happen.

Former England player and current legend, Chris Waddle, has said that Theo Walcott does not understand the game enough at international level.

Waddle is speaking ahead of the World Cup this summer and there is still a big chance for someone in the side to step in and make the right and left wing positions their own.

Waddle was an England regular who played in some of the toughest club and country competitions in the world. He will know better than most the qualities needed to read the game at the highest level.

He said: “People keep saying he’s young but Wayne Rooney understood the game at 16, 17. I’ve never seen any difference in Walcott since he was at Southampton and broke into the team at a very young age.”

“I’ve never seen him develop. He just doesn’t understand the game for me – where to be running, when to run inside a full back, when to just play a one-two. It’s all off the cuff. I just don’t think he’s got a football brain and he’s going to have problems. Let’s be honest, good defenders would catch him offside every time. I just don’t know whether he studies the game, learns the game, or what. He’s at a great club where they play fantastic football week-in, week-out, and I’m just surprised he’s never developed his game.”

“I’m surprised Walcott was in the squad. He doesn’t play a lot of football, he hasn’t done anything. he hasn’t done anything for a long time and I think Croatia was a one-off. I just think he’s got a lot to learn. I’ve been more impressed by Adam Johnson at Manchester City than Theo Walcott.”

Waddle’s comments about Johnson at Manchester City will be echoed by many people within the current football community. It is a little strange how a player who was set to join Real Madrid at one point cannot be good enough to play for his own country.

Walcott is a decent player but the point is he still has a lot to prove on the international stage. Johnson needs a chance and he could be a fresher and surprising choice for England’s World Cup squad this summer.

It is a nice problem for Fabio Capello to have and the boss will be hoping that competition for places continues to stay fierce. The one thing he will not want to happen is a spurt of injuries, which threaten to dent the spine of the side.

You cannot be a bad player if you can score an away hat trick in international football. Walcott needs to work hard and remember that he has a top line manager in Arsene Wenger to go to advice for at Arsenal.

It’s difficult to call all of the midfield positions for England’s squad, which will go to South Africa in June. Walcott and Johnson may well end up both going. Watch this space over the coming months.

Manchester United defender, Gary Neville, has said that Wayne Rooney is not too far away from being considered one of the greatest ever English players to have ever graced the game.

Neville was speaking after Rooney came off the United bench to score the winner against Aston Villa. Rooney headed the ball accurately past Brad Friedel in the Aston Villa goal, with many hailing the finish as one of his best.

Neville says that there are now plenty of teams who will not know what to do against Rooney or how to mute his influence. He has also said that it bodes well for England and the World Cup this coming summer.

He said: “Wayne is a great player to play with and is one of the brilliant Manchester United players have had. He has been brilliant for England too. The only thing he has to do for England now is go and win something. That is what England players have been striving to do for the past 40 years.”

“That would really crown it off for him. Wayne can handle all the comments and accolades, all the praise and criticism. He has been around a long time now and he has the experience of a 30-year-old really even at such a young age because he came into the Premier League at 16.”

“He has played in European Cups, FA Cups, World Cups and European championships. He has experienced the lot. He is maturing now. It is not just about his performance, it is about his determination and character and his willingness to always fight for the team. That is what makes him stand out. He is not just a player who wins you games he fights for everything as well.”

“His temperament is brilliant. He is brilliant to watch. He has been great since the moment I laid eyes on him about six or seven years ago when we were with England.”

There is very little doubt that Rooney is carrying United at the moment and were he to get injured, it would greatly dent the club’s immediate plans and ambitions.

He is also one of the best current players in the world and a good bet for top scorer at the World Cup in South Africa. Teams do not know how to mark him or keep him quiet during a game because there are so many different ways he can play and stretch sides.

Like Neville says, he has also matured a lot, which helps with him bringing other players into the game. He is able to read things and see passes, which other players just cannot vision.

Many pundits say that players do not reach their peak age until they are around 26 or 27 years of age. If that is the case then it is frightening what this Merseyside lad is capable of. He is without doubt the most valuable current asset in the Premier League.

Manchester United, Lyon, Bayern Munich and Porto each take a lead into the UEFA Champions League second round second leg after in an intriguing return of Europe’s premier club competition.

With the playing format of the tournament altered this season, just four of the eight second round ties took place this week, with the other four commencing next week, and it was United who gained the most impressive result.

AC Milan 2 Manchester United 3
A brace from in-form Wayne Rooney helped them to a creditable 3-2 win over Seria A giants AC Milan in the San Siro. The rejuvenated Ronaldinho handed the Italian outfit a third minute lead with a deflected volley before veteran midfielder Paul Scholes equalised for Alex Ferguson’s men ten minutes before the break.

The match turned into the Rooney show in the second half, as a pair of headers moved United into control of the tie as Milan’s unfavourable average age began to show as their performance waned. Veteran Dutchman Clarence Seedorf ensured Leonardo’s men hold a glimmer of hope in the second leg with his sublimely taken goal five minutes from time.

United will be without midfielder Michael Carrick for the return leg, however, as he received a foolish second yellow card for kicking the ball away in stoppage time. The English side will no doubt remain overwhelming favourites to progress, with the Old Trafford meeting pencilled in for the 10th of March.

Porto 2 Arsenal 1
Meanwhile, Arsenal have given themselves plenty of work to do as they must overcome a 2-1 deficit after going down away to Porto in a game riddled with mistakes. Lukasz Fabianski was the centre of attention after he gifted the Portuguese side an 11th minute lead after fumbling Silvestre Varela’s cross.

Veteran defender Sol Campbell, making his first Champions League appearance since Arsenal’s 2006 final defeat to Barcelona, popped up with an equaliser soon after but he was at the forefront for Porto’s second in a bizarre phase of play.

Goalkeeper Fabianski was penalised for picking up a backpass from Campbell, before the pair stood aimlessly as the hosts got on with the indirect free-kick, leaving Radamel Falcao the simple task of tapping into an almost empty net with the Arsneal goalkeeper stranded when he perhaps should have been more alert.

The Gunners remain favourites to progress to the quarter finals despite the defeat, with an impressive home record at the Emirates this season leaving them confident the tie is far from over. Manager Arsene Wenger’s injury list should have lessened by then, with his beaten side heavily weakened through injury in Wednesday night’s encounter.

Lyon 1 Real Madrid 0
Elsewhere, Real Madrid have also given themselves an uphill task after they went down to a shock 1-0 defeat to Lyon. Jean Makoun’s screamer was the only goal of the leg, with Madrid’s star-studded side unable to break down the resilient French side.

The Spanish giants have an added incentive in reaching this year’s final as it takes place in their very own Bernabeu stadium, not to mention spending in excess of £250million in the summer in president Florentino Perez’s latest ‘Galacticos’ era.

But they must come from behind in the second leg if they are to continue their quest towards a tenth European Cup. Should they fail to progress, however, manager Manuel Pellegrini’s job could well be on the line.

Bayern Munich 2 Fiorentina 1
The week’s only other Champions League game took place at the Allianz Arena where Bayern Munich took a 2-1 win over Fiorentina in an evenly balanced tie. Former Chelsea winger Arjen Robben opened the scoring from the spot on the stroke of half-time, his sixth consecutive match in which he has scored.

Former Everton defender Per Kroldrup got the Italians back in the contest shortly after the break but the Germans ensured they take a slender lead to Stadio Artemio Franchi thanks to a controversial goal from Miroslav Klose.

It is debateable whether the Germany international should still have been on the pitch after escaping with a yellow for a lunge on Cesare Natali earlier in the match, but there was no debating his equaliser should not have stood.

The 31-year-old, a second half substitute for Thomas Muller, was clearly yards offside when he nodded in a minute from time, leaving the Viola coach Cesare Prandelli livid with the decision and no doubt determined to gain justice in the return leg.