Manchester United defender Phil Jones has admitted Wayne Rooney has helped him settle in to the England senior set-up under Fabio Capello.

The 19-year-old has been called into the full England squad for the first time after impressing for the under-21s and the Red Devils this season.

He revealed he is looking forward to playing for the Three Lions and cannot wait to win his first cap, with games against Bulgaria and Wales coming up.

He told FATV: "He's Wayne Rooney - a good character and a lively character.

"He's been very helpful and understanding and has certainly made me feel welcome at international level and on club duty. He's a fantastic player and you can only learn from him. It's great to have him around.

"Everyone's world-class players here and it's about the collective team spirit. We've got to come together and produce the goods on Friday night. There's no fear, just excitement to get out there.

"It is an opportunity I didn't expect, but it's a great feeling for family and friends.

"There's no fear. We all know why we are here. We are all playing well for our clubs. There is just an excitement and enthusiasm to get out there and start playing."

Jones’ team-mate at United, Tom Cleverley, is also anticipating his first full England match after being called into the squad for the abandoned game against the Netherlands in August.

The midfielder revealed he had an embarrassing first training session with his new international colleagues.

“It was an own goal in a full-sided game," he said. "I was gutted the game got called off anyway but it meant I had to leave on the own goal really.

"At least I scored in my first session! I tried rolling back to Rob Green and it came off my shin and ended up flying in the net. It was a pretty embarrassing moment for me."

Source: Goal.com

Manchester City deadline day signing Owen Hargreaves is relishing a fresh start with his new club.

The injury-plagued midfielder switched to City after making just four appearances in the last three seasons for rivals Manchester United.

Hargreaves is now looking to put the past behind him and get back to playing after signing a one-year deal at the Etihad Stadium.

Regarding his injury problems, the 30-year-old told City TV: "It's difficult for people from the outside looking in. You would think ' there's something gone wrong there, the guy's made out of glass'.

"But anybody who knows me and knows the way I play, I take it very seriously and very professional.

"So obviously I don't think everybody had all the facts and a lot of things (injuries) happened that basically I wish wouldn't of and it's just a huge learning curve for myself and I would have never have anticipated I would ever find myself in that position.

"So I'm just happy that that chapter is behind me and I'm looking forward to just playing football and having fun, having a good time, joining in with the lads and competing again.

He added: "It was my life - I missed Champions League finals, I missed World Cups, I missed so many big games that I would have loved to have been a part of.

"Its difficult when you're in it and you're trying to find a solution to these things, you seem to be not going any further forward and it was incredibly frustrating.

"So I basically spent all summer just training, proving to myself that I can work hard, that I can train and sustain the load that is demanded of a professional football player.

"I hadn't made my mind up this summer, I just wanted to train hard and then see how it felt and I didn't use an agent.

"It just kind of (happened) - I think in life you can't chase things, you've just got to let things happen and that's what it was and, you know, I'm looking forward to the future."

Source: SkySports.com

Timesofindia.indiatimes.com
John Terry believes the emergence of a young crop of international players augurs well for England's future but has rejected comparisons to the so-called "golden generation."

Ten years ago this weekend England looked poised to usher in a bold new era under Sven-Goran Eriksson when a youthful side featuring the likes of Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard and David Beckham thrashed Germany 5-1 in Munich.

That result ultimately proved to be yet another false dawn for England however, as what had once appeared to be a potentially world-beating group of players endured serial disappointments in major tournaments.

Just over a year ago, and English football hit rock bottom when Fabio Capello's side were dumped out of the 2010 World Cup by Germany, crashing to a 4-1 defeat after a string of abject displays in the group stage.

Yet, improbably, a more optimistic mood has developed around the England set-up in recent weeks, following the form of Manchester United youngsters Phil Jones (19), Tom Cleverley (22), Chris Smalling (21) and Danny Welbeck (20).

With the likes of Arsenal's Jack Wilshere (19) and Chelsea's Josh McEachran (18) waiting in the wings, there are signs that England's future may not be as bleak as it appeared after the humiliation in Bloemfontein 15 months ago.

Jones, Cleverley and Smalling are all part of the England squad for Friday's Euro 2012 qualifier against Bulgaria, and Welbeck and Wilshere would also have travelled had it not been for injury.

While England manager Capello was coy about whether any of Jones, Cleverley or Smalling would start, England captain Terry is convinced that the Manchester United trio would be ready if selected.

"They've come into the England set-up and felt very comfortable and very assured of themselves and rightly so," Terry said.

"They're huge talents, certainly for the present, and the future of the England team. They've got a lot to give.

"You don't get into the Man Utd side if you're not ready and they've shown that they are. I don't think age comes into it at all.

"You need to be given opportunities in life and if that comes around, good luck to them. They're certainly ready."

England are currently in pole position to qualify automatically from Group G, which they lead courtesy of a vastly superior goal difference from second placed Montenegro.

If England do reach next year's finals in Poland and Ukraine, Terry believes the side can travel to the tournament with confidence, offering a mix of experience and youth.

"If we do get ourselves to the Euros we can go there with some young players who have got an an awful lot of games under their belts, a little bit more experience and that mixture of the young and the old that we always speak about, and hopefully we can have a good tournament," Terry said.

Terry sensibly steered clear of comparisons to England's mythical "golden generation" however.

"I don't want to get into that. We've been there and done that before," he said. "What we are looking at is a very good young squad of players coming through. It's great to see for English football all round."

By katie lambeski
So if you believe all the news after last weekend’s round of English Premier League, you would believe that the competition is just about done.

It is between the reigning championss Manchester United and their noisy neighbours, Manchester City. For mine, this title race looks a very exciting one and hopefully will be a season to remember for a very long time.

This year’s league can be won by three teams, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool; yes in that order. Chelsea can also possibly be in the mix.

Let’s start with the supposed winners already; Manchester United.

If you compare last season’s best XI to the one that took on Arsenal, it is a very different team. This season, players like Ash Young, David de Gea, Phil Jones, Tom Cleverley (back from Wigan) and Danny Welbeck (back from loan at Sunderland) have come in.

All have had an impact, early on in this season. Cleverley has been compared to Paul Scholes by Sir Alex, Ash Young looks to have fit perfectly into the team and Welbeck and Rooney look like forming a great partnership up front.

De Gea, on the other hand, looks far less certain of himself in the posts. He will grow into the position, but will take time.

This Manchester United side keeps on rebuilding, with change going through the playing ranks.

The Red Devils are probably the team to beat this season. They are going to be very hard to beat, particularly at Old Trafford.

Manchester City is definitely up there in terms of challengers for United’s crown. As expected, they have spent quite a lot in the summer transfer window, with huge signings in Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri.

They look to have added that extra, attacking edge into the side. That was desperately needed as City weren’t all that exciting to watch last season and they needed that attacking flair. With Nasri, Silva, Dzeko and Aguero in their front third, that is a very silky and creative side.

All of this leaves Carlos Tevez in a strange position. After the start they have had, he is not in their best XI. But you can do worse than having Carlos Tevez coming off the bench.

Add some strong defence in Kompany, Lescott and Yaya Toure and you have a well-balanced side and one that can chop and change the way it plays.

I’m expecting Man City to really push their neighbours for top spot.

Also a team, hard to forget is Liverpool. I think they can win the Premiership this season. They seem to have regrouped and rediscovered themselves under King Kenny.

They have gone back to the future in a sense with bringing back Dalglish. It was a great move from the new American owners.

Also important is that they have spent up this year. Suarez and Carroll joined in January, now Stuart Downing, Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam, Jose Enrique and Craig Bellamy signed up in the transfer window.

They have shown some attacking flair and Suarez has been at the forefront of it and with the work-horses Dirk Kuyt, Andy Carroll and Steve Gerrard in there, they can score a few goals this season.

Another important thing is the players look genuinely happy out on the field, and with Anfield behind them, they can win it.

Chelsea is another team that will be up there as the season goes on, but I doubt they can win it. They have also started slowly.

However, if you collect enough points early, you can set yourself up for a challenge for the Premiership. If you are a red or blue Manchester fan, well you wouldn’t be too worried about Chelsea. I haven’t seen anything to start the season to think otherwise.

Andre Villas-Boas has just came in and he has get to them to play the way he wants them to play. The biggest headache he will have is what to do with Torres and Drogba? He needs to sort that out if Chelsea are going to be play any part in the race this season.

I hope Chelsea and Abramovich give Villas-Boas the time needed to make the team his own.

North London isn’t in the best shape at the moment. Arsenal have had a very poor start, on and off field. They lost Nasri and Fabregas and were thrashed 8-2 by Manchester United. It is doubtful if they make top four.

However, they have finally invested a bit of cash in the side, with Andre Santos, Per Mertesacker and Mikel Arteta joining yestrerday.

Where has it been all summer? Who knows. They aren’t that bad a side on paper, but the Gunners just don’t have that discipline needed to fight when needed.

They are in for a long season. As are Tottenham. They have gone backwards. They haven’t bought any players, which is a statement in itself.

Modric is unhappy and they’ve lost Pete Crouch. I hope they prove me wrong because I love the style of football they play and I hope they can charge at top four, but I doubt it.

It looks to be a great season. Bring on this weekend.

Theroar.com.au

Online.wsj.com
Manchester United on Thursday posted a strong set of earnings ahead of its initial public offering in Singapore, recording a 9.6% rise in full-year net profit and an 18% reduction in net debt.

The results will boost the English soccer club, which plans to raise $1 billion in an IPO set for October, with proceeds going toward expanding the club's Asia business, as well as paying down club debt.

Manchester United said that earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization for the year to June 30 were £110.9 million ($180.2 million), compared with £101.2 million last year.

The club also posted record revenue of £331.4 million, up £45 million in 2010 on the back of increased activity from sponsorship deals, attendance and broadcasting.

Over the year, Manchester United became English Premier League champions, reached the final of the European Champions League and the semi-finals of the FA Cup, extending its run of matches and boosting match revenue.

Taken private by U.S. tycoon Malcolm Glazer in 2005 in a deal worth £790 million, Manchester United has struggled to service the £700 million debt taken on to finance the leveraged buyout.

However, Thursday it said that net debt had been cut to £308.3 million, from GBP376.9 million last year and that its cash balance was £150.6 million.

Soccer has a huge domestic and international profile with top-class clubs like Manchester United continuing to generate spectacular revenue on the back of attendance, broadcasting and merchandising sales. Asia, in particular, is seen as a high-growth market for the club, which like other international companies wants to tap into increasingly wealthy consumers and bullish investors.

Manchester United has in excess of 100 million fans in Southeast Asia and is boosting commercial ties in the region, most recently signing a sponsorship deal with Honda Motor Co.

Having originally planned to list in Hong Kong, Manchester United switched to Singapore in June to take advantage of the dual-share listing structure that is available, people familiar with the matter have said.

A two-tier share structure, one with voting rights and one without, enables its owners to effectively retain control of the team. It has raised concerns about corporate governance at the club, which is owned by the Glazer family, headed by patriarch Malcolm Glazer. The family is also owner of the National Football League's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Credit Suisse Group has been mandated as sole global coordinator and bookrunner on the IPO, which is expected to involve a sale of around 25%, valuing the whole company at $4 billion.

Singapore regulations stipulate that at least 12% of a listed company must be in public hands. Hong Kong requires 25%, although it gives companies waivers in certain cases.

Nonvoting preference shares aren't counted as part of the public float, and investors buying into the IPO will have to buy equal numbers of voting and nonvoting shares, two people familiar with the deal said.

Singapore Exchange Chief Executive Magnus Bocker promised an approval of four weeks for the IPO, which was filed with the exchange Aug. 18, essentially putting the club on the fast-track route. Singapore IPOs usually take up to 12 weeks to get a green light for launch.