United accept Vidic's European ban

Papers: Vidic ban accepted

Mark Ogden writes in The Telegraph...
United accept Vidic's European banNemanja Vidic will miss Manchester United’s Champions League clash against Benfica next Tuesday following the club’s decision not to appeal against the defender’s two-match ban for a red card against Otelul Galati last month. Vidic was dismissed by German referee Felix Brych for a late challenge on Galati forward Gabriel Giurgiu during the 2-0 victory in Bucharest, prompting Uefa officials on duty at the game to confirm that the Serbian would receive an automatic one-match suspension as punishment. Uefa contacted United prior to the home fixture against Galati earlier this month, however, to inform the club that Vidic would instead be banned for two games as a result of the challenge. With Chris Smalling sidelined with a broken foot, Vidic’s absence against Benfica could prove costly if United suffer further defensive injury problems against Swansea City this weekend. Sir Alex Ferguson initially described Vidic’s dismissal as “very harsh”, before conceding: “I can understand the referee’s interpretation because German football is different to England.” United have therefore opted not to contest the decision when Uefa’s disciplinary review panel sits in Nyon on Thursday.
UEFA has announced Wayne Rooney's appeal against the three-match England ban which is threatening his Euro 2012 participation will be heard on 9 December.
England coach Fabio Capello praised Phil Jones' performance in midfield against Sweden. "I changed the system," the Italian said. "It was important to see Jones in the position where [Scott] Parker usually plays. It's different to the back four. He played really well."
Meanwhile, Nani, who scored a stunning goal in Portugal's 6-2 Euro 2012 qualifying play-off win over Bosnia-Herzegovina, is in "no doubt it was my best goal in the national team, there are no words to describe it. It was an excellent shot, a great goal."
Several papers analyse United's latest financial results.

Round Up By James Tuck

Nani's new deal to ward off Italy interest

Papers: New deal for Nani?

Phil Thomas in The Sun writes..Nani's new deal to ward off Italy interest
Nani is to be given a mega pay-rise by Manchester United to see off interest from Italy. United plan to move the Portuguese winger, already on £90,000 a week, up to the next tier of their pay-scale alongside the likes of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand on a reported £130,000 a week. Both Milan clubs and Juventus are showing interest in a summer raid. But United top brass have pencilled in talks with Nani's representatives for early in the New Year, when the 24-year-old has 18 months left on his contract. Boss Sir Alex Ferguson will resist any attempts to cash in on the £30million- rated star, who he signed from Sporting Lisbon for £18.5m in 2007. That is likely to mean an improved four-year deal. The Old Trafford chief is convinced Nani can develop along the same lines as Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Daily Mirror believe United and Liverpool face competition from Real Madrid and AC Milan in a race to sign Sao Paolo youngster Lucas.
The Hull Daily Mail report Nick Barmby's elevation to caretaker manager of Hull City, indicating that a move to appoint United Reserves boss Warren Joyce as Nigel Pearson's successor fell through. It is claimed that Joyce decided to remain at Old Trafford instead.

Round Up By Adam Marshall

Scholes ready to move up managerial ladder

Papers: Step up for Scholes?

Scholes ready to move up managerial ladderPaul Scholes is ready to move up the Manchester United managerial pecking order – as his ‘boss’ Warren Joyce heads back to Hull City. Reserve team manager Joyce, 46, will be allowed to return to Humberside, where he was Tigers gaffer from 1998-2000. And assistant Scholes is set to step into his shoes at United. Hull could snap up Joyce without paying compensation, with Sir Alex Ferguson using the move to promote Scholes. Joyce takes charge of United reserves while Scholes listens and learns from the vociferous coach. Now the Old Trafford legend could assume control to see if he can cut it at that level. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer previously did the job before moving to Norway. Hull have considered MK Dons boss Karl Robinson, but are swaying towards Joyce – with Nick Barmby, 37, likely to be in his backroom team at the KC Stadium.
Alan Nixon, Daily Star
Meanwhile, the Guardian report that there has been a delay in the row involving Patrice Evra and Liverpool's Luis Suarez. The FA have told Evra he may not be able to prove his racism claims against Suarez due to linguistic subtleties. Suarez has categorically denied racially abusing the Frenchman and the FA's investigators are having to consider the different context with which words that would be considered offensive in England are commonly used in Uruguay and other Spanish-speaking countries.

Round Up By Gemma Thompson

When Sir Alex Ferguson dubbed Wayne Rooney "The White Pele"

Papers: Pele puts boot in

Stuart Pink writes in the The Sun...
Pele sticks the boot in
When Sir Alex Ferguson dubbed Wayne Rooney "The White Pele", the real deal was flattered but was hardly in agreement. Typical of the attitude that made him the world's greatest footballer, Brazilian legend Pele feels Rooney, 26, has a long way to go before he can be talked about in the same breath as him. Pele, 71, told The Sun on a visit to London: "I am a very big fan of Rooney. He always fights for the team. He is not too technical, his strength is his heart. He's a good player. But you can't really compare him to me. I scored a lot of goals. I don't know if Rooney has." The England striker shouldn't feel too disheartened — just look at what he has to say about Lionel Messi, the most breathtaking star in the game today and a contender to his status as the finest player ever. He said: "I think a 'great' player is defined by their performances at the World Cup. For example, watch Lionel Messi play for Barcelona. He is very good. Exceptional. But for Argentina, he's completely different. Compare him to Zinedine Zidane. He won the World Cup and was at the top for 15 years. He was a more complete player than Messi. Before Zidane there was Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, Michel Platini and Bobby Moore. Great players who won World Cups or, in Cruyff and Platini's case, starred in them. Wayne's aggression is a big part of his game - you cannot take that away from him. In my time we didn't have many yellow cards and red cards. Now, the players are very well protected. But a player does have a responsibility to behave himself. It's hard to change the personality of the player but maybe they can adjust."
The Times pick up on the story that Great Britain will open their London 2012 Olympic football campaign at Old Trafford.

Round Up By Adam Marshall

Vidic next in line for Alex

Papers: Vidic to Madrid?

Ian Ladyman writes in the Daily Mail...

Vidic next in line for AlexSir Alex Ferguson is prepared to rip the heart from his defence next summer and sell Nemanja Vidic to Real Madrid. Real coach Jose Mourinho continues to eye Vidic as he looks to build a team that can wrest the Champions League crown from their great rivals Barcelona. Ferguson understandably will not countenance letting his club captain go in the forthcoming January transfer window. But Sportsmail understands that, remarkably, Ferguson will consider selling Vidic next summer if his old friend Mourinho comes up with enough money to enable United to buy a replacement. With doubts over Rio Ferdinand’s long-term future at Old Trafford, selling Vidic at a time when young defenders such as Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans are still developing would appear to be a huge risk. However, it is understood that Ferguson is no longer convinced that Vidic is 100 per cent committed to life at United and has been less than impressed with the Serb’s efforts so far this season.
Elsewhere, the Daily Star carry quotes from goalkeeper David De Gea, who's warned Manchester City that the Reds are good enough to continue winning silverware. And plenty of it. “United can still win it all,"he said. "It is still not decided that City will finish first.” De Gea also praises Sir Alex Ferguson, calling him "an incredible coach, without doubt the best in the world.”
The Mirror report Rio Ferdinand has received a boost after being left out of Fabio Capello's current England squad. Despite his absence, Ferdinand has been reassured by the manager that he will definitely be going to next summer's European Championships.

Round Up By Nick Coppack