The Story Continues
A Football Manager Career by K3V0Win a copy of FM24 in our Prediction League. Prizes are given out to the best predictor each month, so you have multiple chances to win.
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K3V0
Cheers bud!!
Was upset we conceded a late goal to be honest, but that was the only blemish on a good result.
K3V0
Last Updated at 17:54 GMT
Van Persie was in fine form for the Red Devils last season as he scored 26 times in the Barclays Premier League and new United manager David Moyes will no doubt be disappointed to be without the Dutchman services on Saturday.
The Dutch international is likely to be replaced on Saturday in the starting lineup by Danny Welbeck or Javier Hernandez, although Moyes may consider playing Japanese international Shinji Kagawa just behind Wayne Rooney in a five man midfield.
Van Persie, Nani, Darren Fletcher and Rafael are all unavailable for the game against the Potters on Saturday, everybody injured except Rafael who is serving the remaining game of his three match ban after he was shown a straight red card by referee Howard Webb for a reckless kick on Chelsea defender David Luiz at Old Trafford last May.
K3V0
Last Updated at 13:40 GMT
The Mexican believes his new manager earned his opportunity at previous club Everton and has many similarities with former boss Sir Alex Ferguson who brought unprecedented success to the club during his 26 year reign at Old Trafford.
"This season I believe we'll again challenge for trophies because we've got a good squad who want to win in every game. This is always difficult, but we are good players and we know we can win, so we prepare for the challenge," said Hernández.
"Our new manager has the right to this job, he has worked hard at Everton for a long time and proven he can motivate players in tough situations. The new boss is quite like Sir Alex Ferguson, a good man and knows football," added the striker.
Hernandez, who turned 25 in June, has made 77 appearances for United in the Barclays Premier League since his arrival three years ago and the Mexican international, who has scored 36 league goals, has become a fan favourite at the club.
The striker could start this Saturday against Stoke City at Old Trafford after Dutch international Robin van Persie was ruled out due to an ankle injury suffered against Wigan Athletic in the Community Shield final last Sunday at Wembley, although Moyes could select Danny Welbeck instead or decide to play Shinji Kagawa in behind Wayne Rooney in a five man midfield.
K3V0
Last Updated at 15:11 GMT
United skipper Nemanja Vidić revealed he's confident his team-mates can secure victory in Moyes first Barclays Premier League fixture since his appointment, although the win won't be his first competitive victory since replacing Ferguson after a Wayne Rooney hat-trick helped United thump Wigan Athletic 4-1 at Wembley in the Community Shield final last Sunday.
"I'm confident that we can make tomorrow a special day for the new manager and the fans. I'm confident we can win tomorrow and continue our good form that we've had over the last month. It won't be an easy three points though because they're a good side, a physical side who can be very difficult to play against so we must perform well," said Vidić.
Vidić recently signed a new contract at Old Trafford
The United skipper recently signed a new two year contract extension which will keep him at United until June 2016 and the 31 year old revealed he was never interested in leaving Old Trafford despite speculation linking him with a move away.
"I never thought about leaving Manchester United and I was never interested in joining another club," said the defender.
"I was delighted to sign the contract extension and hopefully if everything goes according to plan I'll be able to stay here beyond that deal if I'm fit. I can't wait for the new season and I'm looking forward to again challenging for major trophies. Personally I believe we're good enough to win it all if we perform as we can and of course I admit sometimes you need a little luck, something we didn't get last season in a few major knockout games," added the former Serbian international.
Vidić has been at United since January 2006 and has won almost everything on offer during his Old Trafford career.
The former Serbian international, who was capped 56 by his country before retiring in October 2011, has made 186 appearances in the Barclays Premier League for United and has won the Barclays Premier League five times, the Capital One Cup three times, a UEFA Champions League back in 2008, the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup and five Community Shields.
K3V0
Last Updated at 19:26 GMT
Full Time from Old Trafford
This was the first time in the history of the Barclays Premier League that United had someone other than Ferguson in charge in the dugout but it mattered little as the hosts comfortably dealt with the challenge the Potters produced at Old Trafford. The reigning Barclays Premier League champions were without Robin van Persie who was injured during their Community Shield final last weekend, Nani, Darren Fletcher and Rafael who was serving the remaining game of a three game ban.
There was no real surprises prior to kick off as Moyes named a strong United side for the clash against Mark Hughes side, the new United manager opting to start Danny Welbeck ahead of Javier Hernández as a replacement for the injured Van Persie.
United began the contest in busy fashion and forced Asmir Begović into action after just five minutes, the Potters goalkeeper in the right place at the right time to push away a header from United skipper Nemanja Vidić. Just minutes later referee Kevin Friend was forced to produce the first booking of the evening after Cleverley had clattered Steven N'Zonzi.
The Potters squandered their best chance of the game early in the contest as Peter Crouch managed to get away from Rio Ferdinand inside the United area but couldn't hit the target with his header from a Marko Arnautović cross. The visitors almost paid the ultimate price after that miss when Ashley Young hit the bar with a long range effort that had Begović well beaten.
As the game passed the half hour mark it was clear the hosts were beginning to control the game and they soon made it count as Cleverley surprisingly rose highest to head a free kick from Rooney past Begović from just a few yards. That's how it remained at the half time break, the midfielders goal the difference between the sides, David Moyes visibly pleased as he made his way towards the tunnel to deliver his first half time team talk in the Barclays Premier League as United boss.
Marouane Fellaini made his debut at Old Trafford
Fans had only just retaken their seats for the second half when United got their second as Young was dragged to the ground by N'Zonzi inside the area leaving referee Kevin Friend with no choice but to award a spot kick. The midfielder was booked along with Erik Pieters who was furious with Friend following the decision. Despite the delay the penalty was calmly dispatched by Rooney who sent Begović the wrong way to the delight of almost everyone inside Old Trafford.
There was little to no fightback from the visitors, the best they produced came from Jonathan Walters who twice stung the palms of David De Gea but his efforts were from a long distance leaving the United keeper with comfortable saves.
In the end the most exciting part of the second half following Rooney's penalty was the introduction of Marouane Fellaini with four minutes remaining, the £27 million summer signing making his debut after replacing Welbeck.
Match Statistics
Shots: Manchester United 12-8 Stoke City
On Target: Manchester United 5-3 Stoke City
Corners: Manchester United 4-6 Stoke City
Fouls: Manchester United 16-13 Stoke City
Yellow Cards: Manchester United 2-2 Stoke City
Red Cards: Manchester United 0-0 Stoke City
Possession: Manchester United 59%-41% Stoke City
K3V0
Last Updated at 10:25 GMT
The win gave new Manchester United manager David Moyes the perfect start to his tenure at Old Trafford.
Cleverley scored just his third league goal for United yesterday and admitted it's a part of his game he's looking to improve.
"In 33 appearances I've only scored three times and that's really not good enough for a Manchester United midfielder. Like that's a goal every 11 games which isn't something to talk about, it's not impressive and I'll try improve on that over the course of the season. Hopefully I can stay injury free this season and help the side win games," said the 24 year old.
The midfielder then spoke about the joy of winning on the opening day against the Potters.
"It was great to win yesterday in what was a tough game. You know games against Stoke are going to be really physical and they just keep going until the end so you've got to be well prepared, there isn't really room for any error. Thankfully we've put in a very good performance, taken our chances and come away with the three points which is fantastic," added Cleverley.
Cleverley has two years left on his four year contract and has stated in the past his willingness to sign a new long term deal.
United will face newly promoted side Hull City next Saturday at the KC Stadium and will be full of confidence following their opening day victory yesterday at Old Trafford. The Manchester club have never failed to beat the Tigers in the Barclays Premier League era and it's been 39 years since Hull beat United or in fact avoided defeat.
K3V0
Last Updated at 13:08 GMT
It's clear for all to see that the England international has once again found his hunger for the game despite the speculation during the summer that he wanted to leave Old Trafford after the deterioration of his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson.
Now new United boss David Moyes has revealed that he has helped motivate the star by setting him a goal target for the new Barclays Premier League season, the Scot challenging Rooney to score more than double what he managed last season.
"It's a fantastic sight to see a fit and in form Wayne Rooney causing problems for opponents, it really is a fantastic, fantastic sight. There was never any doubt for me about his commitment to Manchester United after speaking to him during the summer. He's got his head down, worked hard during pre-season and you can see he's as fit as he's ever been," said Moyes.
"Sometimes you need to motivate and challenge even the best players, they can lose some motivation, it can happen and what we've done is sit down with Wayne to talk about the upcoming season. We've definitely challenged him, we've set him a target for goals in the Premier League and it was around the 25 mark," added the new Manchester United manager.
Rooney has scored 142 goals in 279 Barclays Premier League appearances for United and the 27 year old who has been capped 84 times by England has two years remaining on his £180,000 a week contract at Old Trafford.
United will face newly promoted side Hull City next Saturday at the KC Stadium and will be full of confidence following their opening day victory yesterday at Old Trafford. The Manchester club have never failed to beat the Tigers in the Barclays Premier League era and it's been 39 years since Hull beat United or in fact avoided defeat.
K3V0
Last Updated at 16:40 GMT
Rafael believes the clash with the Tigers is the perfect opportunity to build momentum early in the season.
"The game against Hull will be a good game, I've got a feeling and I think we need to build momentum. This game is very good, almost perfect for us to go and build momentum early in the season. They've just been promoted and we should have to much firepower for them, this is a game we should be winning and I think we will win," said the Brazilian.
The history books do in fact somewhat agree with the Brazilian. The Tigers have never beaten United in the Barclays Premier League era, although they've only met four times, but you would need to go back 39 years to November 1974 to find the last time the Red Devils didn't pick up maximum points, a bleak statistic for even the most optimistic of Tigers fan.
Hull began their Barclays Premier League season against Everton at Goodison Park and were convincingly beaten 4-2.
Charlie M
Couple of solid results to start with as well.
K3V0
Cheers bud!!
K3V0
Last Updated at 19:48 GMT
Full Time from KC Stadium
It took the visitors just 14 minutes to break the deadlock, the Mexican international in the right place at the right time to head home a rebound after Allan McGregor couldn't hold a swerving effort from Tom Cleverley. The Tigers didn't fall apart after that setback and surprisingly they were level just six minutes later as Maynor Figueroa powered a header in off the underside of the crossbar, a clever flick from Manchester United defender James Chester setting the goal up.
United were then forced into an early change as Cleverley suffered what appeared to be a thigh strain and after receiving extensive treatment was unable to continue, the England international replaced by Shinji Kagawa.
The Japanese international made an instant impact as he won a corner with his first involvement and when Wayne Rooney delivered a menacing ball into the box Hernández was again in the right place to tap home much to McGregor's frustration.
On the half hour mark Hernández got his hat-trick from the penalty spot after Antonio Valencia had been upended inside the area by Joe Dudgeon, referee Mike Jones in a perfect position to award the penalty, Hernández blasting the ball straight down the middle as McGregor dove to his right, United in full control of proceedings with 15 minutes remaining in the first half.
There was few moments to talk about in the second half as the hosts struggled to keep United at bay, although Steve Bruce was left fuming after United keeper David De Gea was only booked after handling the ball outside his area when under pressure by Danny Graham, the Tigers boss was visibly furious as he argued with the fourth official.
In the end United made it 4-1 as substitute Robin van Persie curled an effort beyond McGregor with 14 minutes remaining, the Dutch striker making his return to action after missing the clubs opening day victory against Stoke City at Old Trafford last week due to an ankle injury he had sustained during the Community Shield final victory over Wigan Athletic at Wembley.
Match Statistics
Shots: Hull City 9-16 Manchester United
On Target: Hull City 5-9 Manchester United
Corners: Hull City 2-9 Manchester United
Fouls: Hull City 15-13 Manchester United
Yellow Cards: Hull City 3-2 Manchester United
Red Cards: Hull City 0-0 Manchester United
Possession: Hull City 49%-51% Manchester United
K3V0
Last Updated at 13:16 GMT
The Scot left the KC Stadium a happy man after his side had inflicted a second consecutive defeat on the Tigers who had lost 4-2 on the opening day of the Barclays Premier League season to Moyes former club Everton at Goodison Park.
"I'm very pleased with our two performances against Stoke and Hull. I think winning our opening two games is a fantastic achievement and hopefully we can continue our good form in our next few games. This has been a fantastic few months so far since I took over and so far things are working out really well on the pitch," said the new Manchester United boss.
"Obviously I was delighted that we played well yesterday and scored a few goals. The hat-trick scored by Chicharito stands out and I was delighted by his contribution in a tough situation, I mean it's not easy to come in and replace Robin van Persie. He did it and has given me a real headache now, I mean who do I pick for our next game up front, it's a tough question to answer. All the players have been great though and their performances have been very good," added the Scot.
United will face a tougher task in their next Barclays Premier League fixture as they face their first big test under Moyes when they welcome Arsenal at Old Trafford in eight days. The Gunners have picked up just one point from their opening two games after suffering a 2-1 defeat on the opening day at the Hawthorns against West Brom Albion in a game they had led 1-0, former Arsenal striker Nicolas Anelka the villain after scoring a brace for the Baggies to secure the three points.
K3V0
Last Updated at 16:55 GMT
The injury happened early in the game off the ball and after receiving extensive treatment from the United medical team Cleverley was replaced by Japanese international Shinji Kagawa. The midfielder had started both of the clubs Barclays Premier League games and scored the opening goal against Stoke City on the opening day of the season in a 2-0 win at Old Trafford.
Moyes today confirmed that the England international would miss at least two weeks due to the injury.
"Tom will miss the Arsenal game at Old Trafford next week and he's bitterly disappointed," said Moyes.
"He's injured his thigh against Hull, it's nothing major, but it'll keep him sidelined for two weeks. It's one of those niggling injuries and we'd rather get it sorted now nice and early so it doesn't come back later in the season," added the Scot.
The United boss said he hadn't decided on who would replace Cleverley in midfield, though he did admit it was likely that either Marouane Fellaini, Anderson or Shinji Kagawa would start alongside Michael Carrick next Monday at Old Trafford.
K3V0
Last Updated at 22:07 GMT
Arsenal were drawn in Group G alongside Atlético Madrid, Zenit St. Petersburg and R.S.C. Anderlecht, the Gunners the early favourites to claim top spot in that group, although tricky away trips to Spain and Russia must be negotiated.
Chelsea will face German, Danish and Italian opponents in Group H in the form of Bayern Leverkusen, F.C. København and A.C. Milan. The Blues won the competition back in 2012 but were embarrassed last season as they became the first defending team to fail to advance beyond the group stage, Jose Mourinho's side tipped to perform much better this time around.
Group B will pit Celtic, S.L. Benfica, Juventus and Manchester City against one another, the latter two expected to battle it out for top spot. The Citizens have failed to progress from the group stages in their previous two attempts and new manager Manuel Pellegrini will be hoping he can succeed in doing what his predecessor Roberto Mancini couldn't.
Manchester United will compete in the UEFA Champions League for the first time without Sir Alex Ferguson at the helm and new manager David Moyes will be quietly confident he can guide the three time winners successfully into the knockout rounds after the Red Devils were drawn in Group D alongside PAOK, Shakhtar Donetsk and Galatasaray.
K3V0
Last Updated at 16:24 GMT
Holders Swansea City will travel to Loftus Road to face Sky Bet Championship side Queens Park Rangers.
The third round draw produced a total of seven ties containing two Barclays Premier League sides with Southampton, Sunderland, Aston Villa, Cardiff City, Manchester City, Hull City and West Brom Albion set to face Liverpool, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham, Chelsea, West Ham United and Stoke City respectively.
Sky Bet League One side Bristol City received a dream draw in the shape of a trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United.
FA Cup holders Wigan Athletic will welcome Arsenal to the DW Stadium hoping to perform another cup giant killing.
Elsewhere Newcastle United will face Barnsley at Oakwell and Tranmere Rovers will entertain Watford at Prenton Park.
There is an East Anglian Derby as Norwich City host Ipswich Town at Carrow Road in what should be a fiery clash.
There will definitely be three Sky Bet Championship sides in the draw for the fourth round after Huddersfield Town, Burnley and Bolton Wanderers were drawn to face Birmingham City, Reading and Charlton Athletic respectively.
All third round ties will be held on Tuesday 24th and Wednesday 25th of September.
Dan
K3V0
Yeah that group is certainly one I'd have taken before the draw and we should be able to progress!!
League form has been good so far and hopefully we take that into the Arsenal game.
K3V0
Last Updated at 14:11 GMT
David Moyes replaced Sir Alex Ferguson after the former United boss decided to retire at the end of last season and so far there has been little sign of the former Everton boss struggling to adapt under the pressure at Old Trafford.
The United boss told BBC Sport he was pleased to receive the award and took the time to praise his players.
"It's fantastic to achieve the award, it really does put a smile on your face when you know you've achieved it through good old hard work and I know we're on the right track on the training pitch when we produced good performances," said Moyes.
"The players have been fantastic and we've got some really good results. The game tomorrow against Arsenal will be difficult and we'll need to perform at our best, but hopefully with the fans behind us we can get a positive result," added Moyes.
United take on Arsenal tomorrow night at Old Trafford and will be looking to inflict more pain on the Gunners. The visitors are already under pressure after picking up just one point from their opening games against West Brom Albion and Everton.
K3V0
Last Updated at 21:52 GMT
Full Time from Old Trafford
The Gunners were dismal throughout and have a lot to thank Wojciech Szczęsny for after the Polish international produced a goalkeeper masterclass to keep his side on level terms. The hosts created the first chance in just the third minute as Javier Hernández, who was surprisingly selected to start at Old Trafford ahead of the fit again Robin van Persie after his hat-trick against Hull City last weekend, linked up with Antonio Valencia before playing a superb ball in behind the Arsenal defence for Wayne Rooney who fired his first time shot directly at a well positioned Szczęsny in the Arsenal goal.
Rooney then turned creator as he found Nemanja Vidić unmarked inside the Arsenal penalty area with his corner, the United skipper heading inches over, the former Serbian international disappointed with his wayward finish. The United striker then forced Szczęsny into a fine save when he curled a free kick over the wall containing Olivier Giroud and Thomas Vermaelen.
The pressure was mounting and United were turning the screw but they couldn't find the breakthrough as Szczęsny continued to deny them the opening goal of the game and it remained 0-0 at Old Trafford at half time.
Manchester United are second in the Barclays Premier League
There was no doubt heading into the tunnel at the break about who the happier manager would have been and there was no doubt that Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger would have been far from pleased with his sides showing in the first half.
The Gunners to their credit emerged from the dressing rooms for the second half with more purpose and could have taken a shock lead less than a minute after kick off as Giroud found space on the edge of the United penalty area to turn a Mesut Özil cross towards goal, the French international denied by David De Gea's fine fingertip save.
That however was the only real chance the visitors produced and they should have fallen behind close to the hour mark as Japanese international Shinji Kagawa dragged a shot wide of goal when played in by Michael Carrick.
The first substitution of the game was made moments later as Van Persie was introduced, the former Arsenal captain replacing Hernández, the Dutch international immediately involved and he was unfortunate to see his swerving effort clip the crossbar. In the end the Gunners held out for a point they probably didn't deserve as the hosts were left frustrated after Rio Ferdinand's late header had thundered off the crossbar before being hacked clear off the line by Theo Walcott.
Both sides will now have a 12 day break before their next Barclays Premier League games and both managers will be hoping their players emerge unscathed after the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Match Statistics
Shots: Manchester United 33-7 Arsenal
On Target: Manchester United 21-3 Arsenal
Corners: Manchester United 14-6 Arsenal
Fouls: Manchester United 14-8 Arsenal
Yellow Cards: Manchester United 0-0 Arsenal
Red Cards: Manchester United 0-0 Arsenal
Possession: Manchester United 54%-46% Arsenal
K3V0
Last Updated at 23:38 GMT
The Scot submitted a 25 man squad, the maximum allowed by UEFA for the competition and has surprisingly included Scottish international Darren Fletcher who has been struggling with a chronic bowel condition known as ulcerative colitis.
Phil Jones, Adnan Januzaj and Jesse Lingard are all eligible to play during the group stages despite not being included in the clubs submitted 25 man squad as they are considered underage players and don't have to be registered.
The Red Devils are expected to progress from their group after they were drawn in Group D alongside PAOK, Shakhtar Donetsk and Galatasaray, trips to Greece, Ukraine and Turkey awaiting the reigning Barclays Premier League champions.
United begin their European campaign against Shakhtar Donetsk at Old Trafford before back to back trips on the road in October as they face Galatasaray in Istanbul and PAOK in Thessaloniki. The three times winner will then face the Greek side at Old Trafford and new manager David Moyes will be hoping his side has already assured qualification or have some margin for error heading into matchday five as they make the tough trip to Ukraine to face Shakhtar Donetsk at the Donbass Arena.
The Red Devils will host Galatasaray at Old Trafford in their final Group D fixture on matchday six.
K3V0
Last Updated at 12:17 GMT
The result was the first time new manager David Moyes had failed to win since his appointment this summer. The reigning Barclays Premier League champions had convincingly beaten Stoke City and Hull City in their opening two fixtures.
England international Wayne Rooney told BBC Sport he was unhappy with the result.
"The result last night wasn't the best and I wasn't particularly pleased after the game," revealed Rooney.
"We dominated the game and created a lot of chances so we should have won. I don't think there was a part of the game when Arsenal put us under sustained pressure and we should have really won that game last night. It's bitterly disappointing to drop points at home when we performed like that and to be honest I think they got very lucky," added the striker.
The 27 year old will now join up with the England squad for their upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Montenegro and Ukraine in what will be a crucial four days for the Three Lions who currently sit just one point clear of Ukraine at the top of the group. Should the Three Lions beat Montenegro at Wembley and avoid defeat in Kiev they'll be almost guaranteed an automatic place at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil next year as they face group minnows San Marino and Moldova in their final group games, those fixtures almost an assured six points for Roy Hodgson's side.
K3V0
Last Updated at 18:10 GMT
Manchester United hadn't revealed the news yet but Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal has left Van Persie out of his squad to face Romania and Estonia, the former Ajax, Barcelona, AZ Alkmaar and FC Bayern Munich manager explaining his decision.
"Unfortunately he's picked up another injury, his ankle again and won't be available for the games," said Van Gaal.
"I'm disappointed of course because Robin is one of the best players in the world in his position so it's a loss not to have him available. In saying that we've got a job to do and we have strikers capable of doing that in Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Ricky van Wolfswinkel and Luuk de Jong, let's not forget they're also very good players," added the Netherlands manager.
Van Persie, 30, has made 76 appearances for his country and has scored 35 times for his country meaning he's just five goals shy of Patrick Kluivert's all time record goal tally of 40. The Netherlands have a perfect record in their FIFA World Cup qualifying group with six wins from six and they're yet to concede a goal. The Dutch will secure their place at next years 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil if they beat Romania in Amsterdam and if Turkey fail to beat Andorra.
K3V0
Last Updated at 15:46 GMT
Cleverley had started every competitive fixture before the injury alongside Michael Carrick in midfield before suffering the injury during the clubs Barclays Premier League win over Hull City at the KC Stadium last month. The 24 year old says he's now fit and ready to return, but admits he may have to be patient should manager David Moyes select someone else.
"The injury has healed well and I'm grateful I'll be able to return to first team action. It's frustrating for a football player to be injured, it's the worst feeling and somedays you just aren't in a good mood. Thankfully I'm fit again and ready to play if the manager picks me, although I know he may decide to pick someone else and I'll remain patient," said Cleverley.
When asked about how he felt to miss out on selection in the England squad the midfielder provided a logical answer.
"Look I wasn't fit and Roy Hodgson did the right thing. The two games were going to be very intense and you just couldn't go into a game like that having missed two weeks, it wouldn't be right. Thankfully the boys got a great result against Montenegro and hopefully we can get a positive result in Kiev on Tuesday night," said the Manchester United midfielder.
England beat Montenegro 4-2 at Wembley in a dominating display and remain top of their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying group. Should the Three Lions beat Ukraine in Kiev they'll stretch their lead at the top to four points with just two games remaining and will practically secure qualification for next years FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Their final group games are against minnows San Marino and Moldova, games the Three Lions are expected to win.
K3V0
Last Updated at 21:26 GMT
"We've just heard that Rafael has picked up a knee injury that could keep him out for a month," said Moyes.
"It's disappointing and unfortunate for us that it's happened. I'm not going to sit here and bash international friendlies though, I mean what player wouldn't want to represent their country. I wish I'd been selected for a few friendlies by Scotland during my career, I would have jumped at the chance to do that," added the Manchester United boss.
Rafael is likely to miss United's next two Barclays Premier League fixtures against West Brom Albion and Everton as well as their UEFA Champions League Group D clash with Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk at Old Trafford.
K3V0
Last Updated at 14:07 GMT
The Baggies have failed to pick up a point since their impressive opening day victory over Arsenal at the Hawthorns, defeats at Carrow Road and Goodison Park not the sort of results manager Steve Clarke would have been hoping for.
Manchester United defender Jonny Evans believes the Baggies will provide tough opposition.
"I think our next game is very tough and we'll need to perform well to beat West Brom. They've already beaten Arsenal this season so we need to be cautious and ensure we don't end up like the Gunners. We already know how hard they can be to play against, I mean the game last season at the Hawthorns is a clear reminder that they never give up," said Evans.
The sides played out a thrilling 5-5 draw at the Hawthorns on the final day of last season in what was Sir Alex Ferguson's final game in charge of Manchester United. The reigning Barclays Premier League champions could go top on Saturday if they pick up maximum points at the Hawthorns and Manchester City beat Tottenham Hotspur at Etihad Stadium.
SR67
K3V0
Cheers bud
K3V0
I've played through to the 6th October and it's saved on that date so I'll come back to it eventually.