David De Gea looking to adapt quickly at Manchester United

The Spanish goalkeeper has dismissed contrasts between the Premier League and La Liga and wants to improve immediately at Old Trafford

By Adam Hedley

Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea maintains he must adapt quickly to Premier League life in order to fill the void left by Edwin van der Saar.

The 20-year-old completed his move from Atletico Madrid this summer but got off to a nervous start as Manchester City's second goal, a long-range strike by Edin Dzeko, was the result of an error on the part of the Spaniard.

De Gea has refuted contrasts between La Liga and English football and insists he needs to settle in quickly at Old Trafford.

"No, football is football here and in any country," he told Sky Sports.

"I have to adapt quickly and improve on the whole of my game."

Manchester United sparked an impressive revival after finding themselves two goals down at half-time. Chris Smalling sparked the turnround before Nani's brace ensured the Community Shield would be heading to Old Trafford.

"The two goals we conceded in the first half stopped us in our tracks but in the second half we were able to claw back and I think that's the important thing. I'm very happy about the victory," said De Gea.

Nani's first would be of particular encouragement to Manchester United fans as his deft chip over Joe Hart was the finishing touch to a fine piece of build-up play involving Tom Cleverley, Anderson and Wayne Rooney.

"It was a beautiful goal and the lads in the dressing room were very happy," said De Gea.

Manchester United's Chris Smalling believes David De Gea will learn from his Community Shield error against Manchester City

Former Fulham man also pleased with his performance at right-back and says he can contribute in that position throughout the season

By Adam Hedley

“After the 30 odd games that I played last year the aim is to really kick on and play more.

“Hopefully I can start to get some more games at centre-back but if the manager feels that I can play the odd game at right-back then it’ll help if I can contribute.”

Manchester United defender Chris Smalling believes David De Gea will learn from his error in the Community Shield.

The Spanish goalkeeper, signed from Atletico Madrid this summer to replace the retired Edwin van der Saar, was considered partly to blame for Manchester City's second goal as he let past Edin Dzeko's powerful, but sighted, long-range effort, despite it not being in the corner.

United sparked an impressive second-half turnaround and Smalling insists his new team-mate has quickly put his mistake behind him.

"He’ll learn from things like that and he made some good saves in the second-half," Smalling told Talksport.

"It is good to see that he is not going to be down and out about it.”

Smalling played out of his usual centre-back position at Wembley but put in a solid performance at right-back behind Nani, and the former Fulham defender feels he wil be able to aid the team in that area during the season.

“After the 30 odd games that I played last year the aim is to really kick on and play more," he said.

“Hopefully I can start to get some more games at centre-back but if the manager feels that I can play the odd game at right-back then it’ll help if I can contribute.”

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini rules out move for Inter star Wesley Sneijder

Italian insists he is not trying to sign the Dutch star and admits City squad is worse than Manchester United's after Community Shield defeat at Wembley

By Greg Stobart at Wembley

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has ruled out the possibility of signing Inter playmaker Wesley Sneijder this summer.


Reports in Italy over the weekend had suggested that City had agreed a €36 million (£31.4m) deal for the Dutchman but Mancini says Sneijder is not on his radar.

When asked whether City are trying to sign the 27-year-old, Mancini replied: “No, it's not true. Sneijder is an Inter player, we haven't talked about him.”

The Italian admits he does want to make further additions to his squad after City were beaten 3-2 by bitter rivals Manchester United in the Community Shield on Sunday.

United laid down a marker for the season with a stunning second-half performance having been two down at the break and Mancini admits the Red Devils have the strongest squad in the country.

He added: “I think United have the top squad in the Premier League at the moment. They are better than other teams. We need to improve, we need to complete our team and find our best form.

"But United are a top team. I think they played better than us but when you go up 2-0 you need to control the game.

“I think, for us, it's important to understand why we lost this game. We need to have a strong mentality because if we play against another strong squad in the Premier League or Champions League, we need to continue to play football and not dip like we did in the second-half.”

Sir Alex Ferguson hails quality of Manchester United performance in Community Shield comeback

The Scottish manager feels the win was a fair reflection of his side's quality, praising the contributions of the younger players that highlights the depth of his squad

By Chris Myson

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has hailed the quality of football produced by his players after they came from two goals down to beat Manchester City 3-2 in a remarkable Community Shield clash at Wembley.

The Red Devils were shading a tight first half, but two goals in quick succession from Joleon Lescott and Edin Dzeko ensured it looked like the Shield was heading to the Blue half of Manchester.

However, United rallied after the break, and after Chris Smalling struck to give his side hope, two goals from Nani – one of which arrived in stoppage time – completed a tremendous comeback, which delighted the manager.

“I hope it bodes well for the season,” Sir Alex told Sky Sports after the match.

“Certainly I thought the performance over the course of the whole game was very good in terms of the football we played.

“I couldn’t believe we were 2-0 down at half-time, to me we had been controlling the match.

“Goals change games though and they got the first goal then another just before half-time, which was a killer for us.

“But huge credit to the players, they kept their heads, kept playing their football and got the result they deserved.

“The great thing about today was we never got intimidated by City’s tackling. We just kept the ball and kept playing - I thought it was fantastic.

“The players all wanted to take the ball – it’s a great quality to have and our players showed that. 

“We had 13 players under 23 in the squad today, then we’ve got the likes of Chicharito and Valencia – lots of young, talented players not even playing – we’ve got a really good squad.”

The United manager was reluctant to criticise David de Gea for Dzeko’s goal, which found the net from long-range and said he had always planned to make a number of changes in the latter stages of the game with the new Premier League season now only a week away.

“We were always going to make our substitutions,” he said.

“We have to expose the likes of Jones, Evans and Smalling to this kind of top-level football.

“I was going to make six changes, but when we got the second goal I decided to stay with it. We used five in the end and left one alone.

“Dzeko’s shot was bending a lot and the goalkeeper has to react quickly to move back onto his other foot so it’s difficult to say if David was at fault for that one.”

Sir Alex was then informed that the last four winners of the Community shield had gone on to become League champions.

“That sounds good to me - I hope the omen continues,” he laughed.

‘They helped us believe we can score’ – Nani lauds impact of Manchester United’s young players after Community Shield victory

The Portuguese winger insisted that the Red Devils 'always believe until the last minute' after his side secured a late comeback over their rivals at Wembley

By George Ankers

Manchester United’s Community Shield hero Nani insists that the influence of the team’s younger stars helped the Red Devils believe they could come back from a 2-0 half-time deficit against rivals Manchester City.

The Portuguese winger scored twice as Sir Alex Ferguson’s side snatched victory, with Phil Jones, Tom Cleverley and Jonny Evans all being introduced at the break in an attempt to turn the game around.

“I think the young lads that came on in the second half helped us believe we can score," he told Sky Sports after the final whistle.

“We are Manchester United and we always believe until the last minute."

“We said that we just need to score the first goal [in the second half] and then the game would be easier for us and then we did well.”

Despite going in two goals down at the break, United dominated the game in both halves, and Nani agreed that putting one over their local rivals was a boost.

“It is always good to play against Manchester City and win like that,” he admitted.

“I think our fans will be so proud of us. It is a beautiful day and now we just enjoy it.”

And the former Sporting Lisbon player revealed that a smart moment of quick thinking was the key to putting away the last-minute chance that sealed the Shield.

“I was trying to chip, but the goalkeeper stayed on his feet so at the last second I changed my mind and put the ball in the net,” he continued.

After the whistle, Rio Ferdinand also praised the strength of United's squad, and the Wembley atmosphere.

"Great support at wembley today," Ferdinand Tweeted. "Thanks to you all where ever you are. We done it the hard way but that's how we do it every year!! #squad"

Antonio, I salute you

Sir Alex Ferguson is known to recognise a player’s personality and character as much as his skill level or ability on the pitch, and this is arguably why he chose to sign Luis Antonio Valencia Mosquera, or 'Tony V' as he is affectionately known at Old Trafford, from Wigan in June 2009.

In fact, the boss made a point of referencing Valencia’s personal attributes shortly after it was announced the United winger had signed a new four-year contract extension on Monday, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2014/15 season. "He has a quiet, unassuming way of going about his business, which is underlined by great strength of character," said Sir Alex.

Born and raised on the mean streets of Lago Agrio, a rundown oil town in the north-west region of Ecuador, it is easy to see where Valencia would gather said strength. His parents recycled empty glass bottles for cash while their son spent his days playing barefooted football. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant way to grow up, but it did provide the United winger with his most important attributes: hunger and determination.

For it was these qualities that would fuel his rapid return from the potentially career-threatening injury sustained during last September's UEFA Champions League clash with Rangers. Remarkably, Valencia went on to play a pivotal role in United's charge towards a record-breaking 19th English league title, as well as cementing a starting berth against Barcelona in the European Cup final - ousting Players' Player of the Year Nani in the process.

All of that seemed implausible, though, when the Reds winger was felled by a relatively innocuous challenge from defender Kirk Broadfoot – one which dislocated and broke the Ecuadorian’s left ankle, stunning Old Trafford into a shocked silence in the anxious moments which followed.

Fast forward to six months later, however, and the contrast in atmosphere is huge. The Theatre of Dreams is collective in goodwill and it has little to do with a 1-0 half-time lead over Arsenal in the FA Cup. No, the biggest cheers are reserved for the returning Valencia, who springs off the bench to rapturous applause and churns out a surprisingly combative performance. It was as if he hadn’t been away.

Valencia’s return appeared to give United’s title challenge a shot in the arm too, following back-to-back Premier League defeats to both Chelsea and Liverpool, and it was certainly no coincidence that Wayne Rooney was beginning to show signs of his best form following an uncerta.

So it is with great relief and satisfaction to know a player of Valencia’s calibre and underestimated quality will be donning the red shirt of United until June 2015 at the very least. Granted, he's currently sidelined with that troublesome left ankle - but something inside me says he might just be alright.

Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain all interested in Casemiro [agent]

The representative of the Brazilian teenager has hinted that some of Europe's biggest clubs are interested in his client but says that Inter cannot afford the 19-year-old

By Livio Caferoglu

The agent of Sao Paulo midfielder Casemiro has singled out Real Madrid, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain as interested suitors for his client.

The Brazil Under-20 international, who helped his country win the South American Youth Championship earlier this year, was originally tipped to move to Italian giants Inter, but other clubs have since joined the queue to land the starlet it seems.

The Giuseppe Meazza outfit have long been linked with the 19-year-old, but the admission from Jose Alberti, the player's agent, has hinted that they cannot afford the reported €18 million demanded by the Brazilian club.

"Inter were the original favourites, but there is talk of offers of around €18 million, a value that the Italians can not reach," Alberti told Calciomercatoweb. "There is also interest from other teams like Manchester United, Real Madrid and PSG."

The news comes after it emerged that the Italians were closing in on Slovakian midfielder Juraj Kucka from Genoa.