Premier League transfer rumours

Every day Fantasy League will scour the newspapers and weblogs to bring you the latest transfer rumours from the Premier League. Who's in, who's out and how will it affect your Fantasy League selection?

Arsenal

Arsenal are interested in signing Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul after his opening day antics for the Magpies on Saturday. However Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has said he has trust in his current squad and that no new signings are immanent.


Aston Villa

Aston Villa have again been linked with a move for Middlesbrough striker Tuncay. Villa boss Martin O'Neill could also be set to renew his interest in Tuncay's Boro team-mate David Wheater. Meanwhile, O'Neill has revealed youngster Fabian Delph is ready to make an immediate impact on the first-team following his arrival from Leeds.


Birmingham

Birmingham have completed the signing of Irish winger James O'Shea from Galway City for an undisclosed fee. The midfielder was Galway's top scorer last year and has now secured his dream move to the Premier League. Birmingham are unlikely to capture fellow Irish winger Stephen Hunt though as it seems Hull City have emerged as favourites to capture the Reading man. It seems Birmingham may opt for a 4-5-1 formation this season with James McFadden playing behind a central striker.


Blackburn

Blackburn may now face competition for the signing of Nantes midfielder Aurelien Capoue from Bolton Wanderers. The player is available for a season-long loan and although some reports had suggested Blackburn were close the deal, it now seems back in the balance. Danish international Michael Silberbauer is another target according to reports in Holland that claim Rovers are tracking the right-midfielder, who is currently playing for Utrecht.


Bolton

Bolton are trying to hijack Blackburn's attempts to sign Nantes midfielder Aurelien Capoue on loan. The Guadeloupe international seemed close to a move to Ewood Park but Gary Megson is now trying to scupper that deal after learning of the 27-year-old's availability.


Burnley

Burnley are looking at launching a bid for Reading defender Andre Bikey, but only a fee of over £2.5m is expected to capture the Cameroon centre-back. Meanwhile Martin Paterson has given the Clarets a boost by returning to full training having missed three weeks of pre-season training.


Chelsea

Reports suggest Chelsea are set to make an offer for Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery worth £55m, which would break the British transfer record. Meanwhile, there is also speculation that the Blues' made an unsuccessful bid for Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi.


Everton

Everton have rejected a transfer request from in-demand defender Joleon Lescott. Manchester City have been very aggressive in their attempts to sign the England defender and Lescott has asked to leave, but Toffees boss David Moyes is adamant that no players will be sold.


Fulham

Roy Hodgson has told Arsenal they will have to pay £15m for Brede Hangeland after the defender was linked with a move to the Gunners. However the giant defender has declared that he is in no rush to leave Craven Cottage despite recently turning down a new contract. Meanwhile Fulham edged closer to the £2.5m capture of Almeria striker Kalu Uche.


Hull City

With a deal for Henri Camara almost done, Hull are set to switch their attentions from attack, to midfield and are reportedly interested in Reading midfielder Stephen Hunt. The Tigers are also monitoring former Liverpool midfielder Boudewijn Zenden, who currently plays for Marseille.


Liverpool

Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard is a doubt for Sunday's trip to Tottenham after pulling out of the England squad with a groin strain. Meanwhile, boss Rafael Benitez believes it could be a huge year for new signing Glen Johnson who he thinks will shine for club and country in this World Cup year.


Manchester City

Manchester City may have to give up on their bid to land Joleon Lescott after Everton rejected a formal transfer request from the defender. Another target, West Ham's Matthew Upson has rejected an offer of a new contract prompting rumours he could be trying to engineer a move to Eastlands. Portsmouth's Sylvain Distin is also reportedly on the radar.


Manchester United

Ben Foster has been forced to pull out of England's friendly with Holland on Wednesday night. The goalkeeper suffered what has been described as a minor injury in the Community Shield defeat to Chelsea. It is another blow in his quest to be Manchester United's number one and he now faces a battle against time to be fit for Sunday's game against Birmingham.


Portsmouth

Portsmouth have approached Lyon with a bid to take Sunderland target John Mensah on a season-long loan deal, although the French club would prefer to sell the player. Niko Kranjcar has announced he will not be signing a new contract, increasing speculation that Pompey could be tempted to cash in now because the Croatian star has just one year left on his current deal.


Stoke City

Everton have rejected a £5m bid from Stoke for young striker James Vaughan according to news sources in Liverpool. Stoke reportedly bid £2m up front for the talented striker with the fee rising to £5m based on appearances. Andy Wilkinson has welcomed speculation linking the club with a new right-back saying he'd welcome the competition.


Sunderland

Sunderland have refused an approach by Coventry City to bring Jordan Henderson back to the Ricoh Arena on a loan deal, as Henderson is expected to feature for the Black Cats in the Premier League this year. Sunderland have also made an offer for Lyon defender John Mensah, although the amount offered so far has failed to meet the French club's valuation.


Tottenham

New signing Sebastian Bassong has been cleared to play for Tottenham against Liverpool on Sunday despite carrying a suspension from his time at Newcastle. The defender was sent off at the end of the season, but Spurs have released a statement saying he is eligible to play for them because he received his red card playing for Newcastle.


West Ham

Radoslav Kovac is set for a permanent move to West Ham after a successful loan spell last season. The Czech midfielder could move in a £1.5m deal from Spartak Moscow. However, as Kovac comes in Matthew Upson could be on his way out with Manchester City planning a tempting £15m for the defender.


Wigan

Wigan midfielder Olivier Kapo is closing in on a move to Nice after finding his first-team opportunities limited at the DW Stadium. With the transfer window open for just another couple of weeks Kapo is keen to get the ball rolling and after hearing of interest from the French club has made his feelings clear.


Wolves

Wolves may beat Portsmouth to the signing of Modeste M'Bami, after the midfielder has been on trial for three weeks at Fratton Park and still hasn't been offered a contract. Meanwhile Wanderers latest pre season friendly ended in defeat when they created a host of chances against Real Valladolid, but lost 2-0.

Man United 2-0 Man City

After admitting this morning that his future almost certainly lies away from Old Trafford, Tevez drilled home a superb first-half shot before racing away to celebrate, alone, in a very pointed manner, right in front of his manager.

Not only was the goal a perfect way for the South American to express his frustration at a move that now looks destined not to happen, it also snatched at the straw Liverpool were clutching at, with United knowing another win at Wigan on Wednesday will virtually clinch a record-equalling 18th championship.

The Tevez situation is somewhat complicated, far more than just whether Ferguson thinks he is any good.

Strikers Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez helped Manchester United move to within four points of another title.

After all, any United player deciding the eve of a crucial game on the title run-in was a good time to air public views on his future, or lack of it, would normally be good enough reason for Ferguson to exclude him altogether.

Tevez though is a crowd favourite and a player of extreme talent.

So, with Wayne Rooney needing a rest, the South American must have been one of the first names on the home team sheet as United searched for the first three of the seven points required to clinch the title before Liverpool next play.

The United fans have made their feelings perfectly clear for a long time now, bellowing 'Sign him up' at regular intervals.

However, it has to be asked whether, in the present economic climate, £30 million can be justified on a player like Tevez, a bustling, energetic whizzball of a striker, yet one who does not possess the extra class of a Ronaldo.

Yet, having declared the likelihood of him leaving, confirming in the process that United had not so much as made him an offer to stay, Tevez had clearly decided this was the day to make a statement.

The former West Ham star had already curled a shot against the post when he collected Dimitar Berbatov's short pass a minute before the break.

He took aim and fired, gleefully watching his shot crash into Shay Given's net off the Irishman's left-hand post.

Tevez's reaction was instant. He raced straight to the halfway line, directly in front of the dug-outs, waving away all team-mates, and stood, cupping his hands to his ears listening to the cacophony of noise.

Directly opposite, Ferguson celebrated too, a rueful smile spreading across his face. Above him, chief executive David Gill looked down, knowing he will be the one who has to ask for - and then write - the cheque should the Glazer family agree Tevez's registration should be extracted from Kia Joorabchian.

At that precise moment, an 18th league championship had almost been forgotten.

As Ronaldo had already found the net with one of his blockbuster free-kicks though, United fans spent half-time knowing they were taking a significant step towards it, Liverpool's hopes evaporating on the back of a City side who played good football without threatening the home goal.

Mark Hughes knows all too well the standards United have been performing to for almost two decades now.

Hughes does seem to have got the balance of his own team right. But there is clearly still a very long way to go before they can compete for anything more than scraps off the world champions' table.

Indeed, if Tevez's prodding goes unheeded by United, it is a fair bet the Welshman was listening too as he assessed the next move forward for his club, who still harbour hopes of a place in the new Europa League.

Ronaldo's 26th goal of the season was a corker. Only 30 yards this time the distance as the Portugal superstar belted home his 18th-minute opener.

His delight did not last that long as, on the hour, he was replaced by Wayne Rooney.

The decision did not go down well. Ronaldo's future has also been the subject of intense speculation of course and he angrily swiped at some TV equipment before taking a seat in the dug-out, shaking his head in clear annoyance at the decision even though, injury permitting, he is certain to face Barcelona later this month.

A further problem arose for Ferguson in an apparent hamstring injury suffered by Jonny Evans, who was only called into battle himself when Rio Ferdinand suffered a calf injury in training yesterday.

Macheda Snr hails Manchester United super starlet Federico

Macheda is mobbed by his team-mates after his goal against Villa

The father of Manchester United's newest hero is still in dreamland after his son's magical moment at the weekend.

Pasquale Macheda realised in a few seconds that years of sacrifice and hard work had been worth it after watching Federico score a last-gasp winner against Aston Villa.

It is not too long agao that Macheda Snr worked nights in a supermarket so that he could drive his son to Lazio's training centre, a world away from their home in the rundown Ponte Dinona area of Rome.

And after the 17-year-old announced his arrival in the Premier League in front of his dad at Old Trafford on Sunday, proud Pasquale said: 'The one thing I keep seeing in my mind is my son's eyes after he scored. When he ran towards me with tiger eyes.

'He had this incredible fiery look. Above all the noise I could hear him shouting "come down, come down".

I raced down the steps and we hugged. His look was enough to say "see where we have got to, see where we have come, dad".

'I burst into tears. It was beyond belief, I could not believe I was going through such a moment. It left me numb. I have watched the goal again and again on DVD. It is unbelievable.'

He added in The Sun: 'In the past 18 months he's developed enormously, physically and technically at United. They have done a fantastic job.

'When United were 2-1 down to Villa I thought there would be no room for my son to come on. But then someone said "there he is!"

'I rubbed my eyes because he looked like he had been playing for years - even alongside Cristiano Ronaldo he did not look like a rookie.

'When he scored I blanked out, I didn't see what happened. All these years I asked him "when are you going to dedicate a goal to me?"

'He said nothing on Sunday, he didn't have to. His look said it all.'

Macheda's achievement was of little consolation to Lazio, who were left angry after United snatched away the star prospect from their youth academy in September 2007.

'It's thanks to Lazio that today Federico is doing well in his English experience,' said Pasquale.

'He was a part of Lazio's youth team and he was fortunate there to learn a lot and become a serious lad from a sporting point of view.

'Federico was born in Rome and grew up at Lazio. But it's not easy to resist an offer from a prestigious club like Manchester.

'Now we are enjoying the moment and we are proud of what Federico has done. He is a serious kid with his feet firmly on the ground.'

One person at Lazio who did celebrate the player's instant success was Federico's former coach with the club's youth team, Stefano Avincola.

'I am delighted for him,' he said. 'Of course there's some regret at the Lazio camp for seeing a quality player leave. But I want to reiterate that Lazio did everything they could to keep Federico at the club, seeing in him a player with potential and good prospects.

'Unfortunately, it was not possible and the lad and his family made an understandable choice of leaving Lazio and thanking the club for everything they did for the young Federico.'

Benitez issues a quick guide on....

Manchester Utd 1 Liverpool 4:
Benitez issues a quick guide on the way to defeat United

After watching his fast Spanish striker expose the weaknesses he had identified in Manchester United's defence, the 'fat Spanish waiter' was understandably satisfied.

It was Rafa Benitez, after all, who dismissed Arsene Wenger's declaration that United had become 'untouchable'. Benitez who insisted four weeks ago that the champions of England, Europe and the world were not the invincibles Arsenal's manager would have us think.

Kop that: Rafa Benitez masterminds a stunning victory over Manchester United.

United's heaviest defeat at Old Trafford in 17 years was quite a way for Benitez to prove his point and now he only hopes that others, Wenger included, will copy the blueprint of his tactical masterplan.

If Liverpool are to have any hope of catching United, they need the teams still due at Old Trafford to follow the example of Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard and use a deadly combination of pace, power and skill to unlock Sir Alex Ferguson's record-breaking back line. As well, that is, as unsettle United's midfield with someone as destructive as Javier Mascherano.

Until Saturday, United were unbeaten at home in the Barclays Premier League this season, having conceded just five goals. Teams were turning up convinced they had no hope of securing even a point. But United are not impenetrable, no team is, and Benitez is now urging others to take note.

In Liverpool's favour is the fact that there is pace in abundance in the teams that United still have to host between now and the end of the season. Aston Villa are at their best when they get the ball out to their wingers and so are Tottenham, while Manchester City and Arsenal also have quick players capable of terrorising Nemanja Vidic and Co.

Man of The Match: Fernando Torres celebrates after hitting the first of Liverpool's four goals.

'I think United have weaknesses,' said Benitez. 'They have quality, a lot of quality in attack, that is the main thing that they have. They are strong in defence because they have plenty of possession. But when they don't have the ball and you move the ball quickly and play behind the defenders, you know you can beat them. We knew that they are really good at playing between the lines with penetrating passes.

'So we needed to stop these passes and put the midfielders under pressure every time they were going to receive the ball; and after that try to play simple and go forward quickly, because it's an offensive team and they are always high.'

Before this encounter, Vidic was a contender for Footballer of the Year. But the manner in which he was terrorised by Torres before receiving a straight red card for his professional foul on Gerrard has probably ruined any chance of that.

Benitez saw something in Vidic that he knew Torres could exploit. 'That was one of the ideas,' he said. 'We knew that maybe with Fernando's movement we could create problems for the defenders.'

Holding court in an Old Trafford press auditorium Ferguson has long refused to appear in after Premier League matches, Benitez was in his element. He had endured the Spanish waiter taunts from United fans and soaked up insults from Ferguson. 'Disturbed' and 'ridiculous' was how Ferguson described him after that outburst in January, adding last Friday that he will need to read 'Freud' to understand his rival.

Smacker: Steven Gerrard¿s TV kiss after his strike from the penalty spot.

Reminded of all that, and the idea he was 'cracking up' in January, Benitez did something on Saturday he so rarely does. He smiled. 'I can guarantee you that I was calm and I am calm,' he said. 'But I had to defend my club and that is what I did.

Seeing red: Nemanja Vidic is given his marching orders.

'I read Freud in school and university but now I try to improve my English. Maybe he will understand me if I say something again but I have a lot of respect for him. We shook hands after the game because he was not talking bad blood. He is a fantastic manager at a big, big club. But I was not worried about myself. I was thinking only about my club. I think Liverpool has been the best team in Europe in the last five years. It is a fact.'

The fact is, though, Liverpool have lacked the consistency of United in the title race. Against their main rivals they have been terrific. Home and away wins against United and Chelsea as well as a draw at Arsenal. The kind of form that usually secures the championship. But precious points have too often been dropped at Anfield.

'It's football and it's difficult to explain why we have dropped points when we have,' said Benitez. 'Still we need to be more consistent against the other teams.'

This performance will give them the confidence to achieve that consistency. Not least the fashion in which they fought back after Pepe Reina's reckless foul on Ji-sung Park invited Cristiano Ronaldo to score from the penalty spot.

Four-midable: Andrea Dossena (left) is congratulated by his team-mates after rounding off Liverpool's magnificent victory.

First came that wonderful equaliser from Torres, then Gerrard's penalty for Patrice Evra's foul on the Liverpool captain, before Fabio Aurelio punished Vidic for his red-card challenge with a fine free-kick and Andrea Dossena outsprinted John O'Shea in pursuit of a Reina kick and sent an audacious lob over Edwin van der Sar.

Contrary to Rio Ferdinand's opinion, the red card was not 'debatable' and contrary to a view expressed by Ferguson, United were not the better team. Not on Saturday anyway.

Two games banned for Vidic

....receiving his marching orders for the foul....

From bad to worse! Vidic nightmare not over as two-game ban rocks Manchester United's title hopes. Nemanja Vidic was yesterday banned for two games as the fallout from a humiliating defeat by Liverpool began to take its toll on Manchester United.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s rivals are waiting to see just how damaging Saturday’s setback will be to United’s hopes of a hat-trick of Barclays Premier League titles and their pursuit of a clean sweep of trophies.

Nightmare: Vidic blundered to let Fernando Torres in to score Liverpool's first......

Now the sending-off has ruled Vidic out of next weekend’s trip to Fulham and the following league game at home to Aston Villa.

...before flattening Steven Gerrard....

The FA confirmed that the straight red card shown to Vidic for hauling down Steven Gerrard at Old Trafford will mean a two-game suspension because it comes on the back of his dismissal for two bookings in the 2-1 defeat at Anfield last September.

At least Ferguson has an accomplished replacement in Jonny Evans to partner Rio Ferdinand at the heart of his defence and Ji-sung Park is confident Saturday’s defeat will not stop United retaining the title.

...and watching Fabio Aurelio curl home the resulting free-kick

Park said: ‘If we produce good performances, like we have been doing, for the rest of our league games this defeat will not be a big problem.’

Meanwhile, Liverpool have been told by UEFA president Michel Platini that the ruling body will try to avoid forcing the club to play the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on April 15, the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.

Liverpool 4 - 1 Manchester United

It had looked rosy when Cristiano Ronaldo converted a first-half penalty, but an uncharacteristically nervy display at the back allowed Liverpool back into this match; and the subsequent 4-1 defeat means the Reds’ lead at the top is chopped to four points, albeit with a game in hand.

Ronaldo put United ahead but three defensive mistakes led to Liverpool goals, and Nemanja Vidic’s second-half sending-off, which preceded the visitors' third goal, put paid to taking any points. In truth, this wasn’t a great day at the office, it never quite clicked into place. But one thing is certain: this defeat must be used to propel the Reds forward in the title race. The team responds well to set-backs, and this is only a minor stumble.

United made three changes from the team that beat Internazionale in midweek. Whereas Sir Alex chose the experience of Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs against Jose Mourinho’s men, the Reds boss favoured the energy and youthful vigour of Anderson and Ji-sung Park, while Carlos Tevez partnered Wayne Rooney in place of Dimitar Berbatov.

It must have stuck in the throats of Liverpool’s players and fans when United were welcomed onto the field as “the Champions of England, the Champions of Europe, and the Champions of the World”. Such is United’s dominance these days that the roles are reversed from when Liverpool dominated at home and abroad years ago.

The shouts of “United, United” were deafening as the teams kicked off, and the sheer gravity of how potentially decisive this match could be added extra spice, though it was hardly needed. Liverpool, who knew that they had to win to keep alive their ailing title hopes, were forced into a change when Alvaro Arbeloa was injured during the warm-up and replaced by Sami Hyypia.

United made the early running, while Liverpool started with a game-plan of containment, a 4-5-1 formation aimed at constricting United’s free-flowing football, but the Reds were urged on by the fans, the coaching staff and Rooney screaming at his team-mates to press forward. The start typified both team’s styles; United brooding with attacking intent, Liverpool patient and poker-faced.

The visitors blinked first. Tevez slotted a pass through the channel to Park on 23 minutes, and the midfielder was wiped out by Pepe Reina – referee Alan Wiley had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Ronaldo stood poised ready to strike from twelve yards and his perfectly-placed kick was followed with a collective roar of approval and rousing “We shall not be moved” as Old Trafford bounced and rocked.

The lead lasted only five minutes, however, after a rare error from Vidic, who failed to deal with a high ball forward from Reina. Whether it was the intermittent spring sunshine or indecision, he let the ball bounce and Fernando Torres nipped the ball off his toes. The Serb stumbled and Torres was left to slip the ball past the onrushing Edwin van der Sar. It was a frustrating leveller, largely undeserved and just as the Reds had appeared to take control.

United immediately looked to make amends when Reina just held onto a deflected Ronaldo free-kick, and shortly before half time Michael Carrick sent a wicked shot just over the bar. But seconds later Liverpool took the lead. Gerrard latched onto Torres’ pass and Patrice Evra brought him down. The Liverpool skipper calmly despatched his spot-kick, though Edwin guessed the right way.

In the second half, no doubt with Sir Alex’s words still ringing in their ears, the United players pressed forward, roared on by the Old Trafford crowd. Reina was twice lucky to escape after spilling crosses, once allowing the ball to rebound off his post, another dropped on the goal line. But neither occasion gleaned an equaliser. Nor did Ronaldo’s flashed cross on 63 minutes, or the return ball from Rooney which Tevez couldn’t quite reach. But United were definitely in the ascendancy.

Tevez had an even better chance on 70 minutes when Carrick’s lofted pass found him free in the area. He chested the ball down but could apply the finish. Shortly afterwards, United made a triple substitution with Berbatov, Scholes and Giggs coming on for Carrick, Anderson and Park. But United’s hopes of turning this match around were all but curtailed when Vidic was given a straight red card for hauling down Gerrard who was through on goal, and to make matters worse Fabio Aurelio curled the resulting free-kick into the top corner of van der Sar’s goal.

It all but snuffed out even the slimmest hopes of a Reds recovery and Andrea Dossena's late lob compounded matters and made this a day to forget. Liverpool may claim the bragging rights and a double over United in the league this season, but Sir Alex and co's sights are set on bigger prizes.

The Total Dominator : Gerrard, Lampard and Ronaldo

Gerrard, Lampard and Ronaldo continue to dominate the Fantasy Premier League scoring. However, as we enter the business end of the season, could it be time to rethink which one of the big-scorers you hang on to?

The last few weeks have been almost non-stop fun for Manchester United fans with poor form from their title-chasing opponents accompanied by an almost perfect set of results for fans of the 17-time title winners.

Chelsea have strung together two wins since the 3-0 Old Trafford defeat, but that damaging loss was preceded by points dropped against Everton, West Ham and Fulham.

For Liverpool, the run of indifferent form has been equally damaging, draws in their last three games came after a brace of wins, but there were two more stalemates before that. These are tough times for Pool fans.

In contrast, Man Utd have dismissed everyone in their path since drawing 0-0 at Tottenham in mid-December with a run of six straight wins. Most were by a one-goal margin, but West Brom were destroyed 5-0 on Tuesday night in what was an ominous performance for their title rivals.

But, regardless of current form, Chelsea and Liverpool's recent results have been notable for the sterling performances of midfield star men, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.

Along with United's Cristiano Ronaldo, these three men have dominated Fantasy Premier League teams in seasons past, and as it stands they are - along with Nemanja Vidic - three of the four top-scoring players in the game. Of equal importance is their cost, Ronaldo, Gerrard and Lampard are the three most expensive players in the market. Yet, despite their hefty price tags, almost all of us have one of the hallowed trio in our squads.

However, as we enter the business end of the season, could it be time to rethink which one of the big-scorers you hang on to?

Cristiano Ronaldo

At £14.5m the Portuguese World Player of the Year is comfortably the most expensive purchase in the game. However, all seasoned Fantasy Premier League managers will know why - he's simply been unstoppable in the last two campaigns. However, there have been signs that 2008-09 would not be such a banner year with a run of nine goalless gameweeks until scoring a brace against West Brom in midweek. That was the fourth time he's scored twice in a game this season and managers must ask themselves if this can herald a new burst of big point gathering. Up to now this season, Ronaldo has averaged 6.8 points per game and there is no-other midfielder with such a good return. Given United's attacking threat from other sources, even if Ronaldo doesn't score he's likely to set one up.

Frank Lampard

With 149 points England man Lampard is the top scorer in the entire game thanks largely to his nose for both a strike and assist, but also to an almost seamless run in the Chelsea first XI (the 30-year-old has only missed 18 minutes of action so far). That almost 'ever present' status has seen managers latch on to Lampard, sending his value up £1m since Gameweek One. And they have been rewarded of late with four goals in five games. With 6.5 points per game, Lampard offers the second best return of the trio.

Steven Gerrard
At £11.9m, Gerrard is the cheapest of the three, being £0.1m less than Lampard, and has scored a whopping 130 points so far - one ahead of Ronaldo. The 28-year-old Liverpool hero offers the Anfield club their chief goal threat with nine successful strikes this season. In what may be a strange quirk, his best play has come just as Liverpool's title-winning form has tailed off. In nine games since December 1, Gerrard has scored six times while his team have won three, drawn six and been overhauled at the top of the table.

Cristiano Ronaldo Wins FIFA World Player Of The Year 2008

Ronaldo’s vehicle is thought to have been written off in the accident on the A538 Wilmslow Road - he was not hurt.

One of the wheels had come off and was about 200 yards behind where the car had come to rest.

The 23-year-old was able to get out of the vehicle himself and was spoken to by police at the scene.

But he will also be formally questioned, Greater Manchester Police confirmed.Police said the Portuguese international gave a negative breath test to officers at the scene.

The red Ferrari was badly damaged in the collision, with the front edge of the vehicle completely demolished

Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar, who was travelling behind Ronaldo in his Bentley, has already spoken to police but was not involved in the crash.

A club spokesman said: "He was involved in an incident this morning. No other cars were involved."

"He’s fine and is training as normal with the team this morning."

Onlooker Jody Lomax was driving behind Ronaldo when the crash happened.

"The Ferrari went straight into the wall, his front left-hand wheel came off and then Ronaldo got out of the car," he said.

"I was shocked. Anyway he was all right, he was walking - he was a bit shaken."

Mr Lomax added: “Obviously I was stunned at seeing a Ferrari go in the wall and seeing Ronaldo.

"He was obviously shaken - who wouldn’t be? - but it’s a shame about the car as well."

Cristiano Ronaldo as expected becomes FIFA World Player Of The Year 2008 he lifts the illustrious individual prize any footballer can get and is now well on his way to becoming a new legend in world football.

Ronaldo was voted in first place by 136 of the coaches and captains while 76 put Messi top.The United player picked up 935 total points, ahead of 678 for Messi and 203 for Torres.

Ronaldo is the first player based at an English club to win the FIFA award, which had previously gone only to footballers playing for Spanish or Italian sides.Ronaldo had a magnificent 2007/08 season, scoring 42 goals for Manchester United,capturing the Premier League, Champions League and European Golden Boot. He followed this up this by lifting the Club World Cup with club team manchester united

Ronaldo caps off a clean sweep of the major awards, having also picked up the prestigious Ballon d’Or (European Footballer of the Year) at the end of 2008.

The 23-year-old becomes the first English-based player to be named FIFA World Player of the Year, and only the second Portuguese, following in the footsteps of Luis Figo, who triumphed in 2001.

“It’s an overwhelming moment, very special,” said Ronaldo after receiving the FIFA award from Pele.

“I can say to my mother and sister, ‘let the fireworks off now’. It’s one of the most important moments in my life.”

In the women’s category, Brazilian sensation Marta was victorious, winning for the third year in succession

Ronaldo Crashes his Ferrari in tunnel

Ronaldo’s vehicle is thought to have been written off in the accident on the A538 Wilmslow Road - he was not hurt.

One of the wheels had come off and was about 200 yards behind where the car had come to rest.

The 23-year-old was able to get out of the vehicle himself and was spoken to by police at the scene.

But he will also be formally questioned, Greater Manchester Police confirmed.Police said the Portuguese international gave a negative breath test to officers at the scene.

The red Ferrari was badly damaged in the collision, with the front edge of the vehicle completely demolished

Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar, who was travelling behind Ronaldo in his Bentley, has already spoken to police but was not involved in the crash.

A club spokesman said: "He was involved in an incident this morning. No other cars were involved."

"He’s fine and is training as normal with the team this morning."

Onlooker Jody Lomax was driving behind Ronaldo when the crash happened.

"The Ferrari went straight into the wall, his front left-hand wheel came off and then Ronaldo got out of the car," he said.

"I was shocked. Anyway he was all right, he was walking - he was a bit shaken."

Mr Lomax added: “Obviously I was stunned at seeing a Ferrari go in the wall and seeing Ronaldo.

"He was obviously shaken - who wouldn’t be? - but it’s a shame about the car as well."