Fitter Happier

All the papers feature quotes from Wayne Rooney today. On Ronaldo leaving:

“With Cristiano leaving it does leave a huge hole when it comes to goals and that is why it is important the likes of myself, Berba and Michael chip in,” he said.

“We all need to score more goals than we did last year, ­especially me and Berba.”
“I’ve spoken to Cristiano since he left and wished him well,” he said.

“He was a great player for Manchester United but it was his wish to go and I think the club have respected that.

“He did a great job for us and the money we got for him was unbelievable.

And disappointingly tactful on Tevez:

“Carlos is a great lad and it was a shame that his future ­never got sorted out and he didn’t stay – but that’s football.

“I’m sure a lot of people will have a lot to say about him ­joining City but it’s one of those things and I don’t want to say too much about it.”

On Owen:

“I’ve played with Michael for England many times so I know him well,” said Rooney.

“He’s looked really sharp in training and you could see by the way all the lads celebrated with him how pleased they were for him when he scored.

“We’re delighted to get him. He’s a great goal-scorer, a good finisher, and we’re all sure he’ll bring us some goals. The move will give Michael a new lease of life.

“Over the last couple of years he’s had some criticism but it would have been difficult for any player to score in that Newcastle team.

There's a strangely wrong sentence about Tevez in The Times:

United are having to adjust to life after Carlos Tévez, too. Though less stellar or as self-obsessed or as regularly used as Ronaldo, the hard-working Argentina forward felt unloved at Old Trafford and also felt the urge to move on, around the corner to Manchester City.

Not self-obsessed? The man who has done nothing but whine about not being treated with the respect he felt he deserved and who claimed we'd have won the Champions League if only he'd started? Not self-obsessed at all...
There's some words from Sir Alex on Ben Foster quoted in The Telegraph:

"Saturday was Ben's first game for three or four months after suffering his injury at the end of last season and we had to operate.

"But I've said it before that, in the long-run, I think he'll be England's goalkeeper. I'm absolutely certain of that.

"Ben has a challenge to take the position of Edwin van der Sar, though, because as everybody accepts, is one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time."

"We hope and pray Ben gets a long run without an injury consistency will be important for the boy."

The Sun has a bizarre article in which it has "the top ten Fergie flop signings," the catalyst being Michael Owen's signing - this a couple of days after he scores on his debut. Great timing.
They almost make up for that rubbish with this story on Tevez:

MAN Utd slashed former star Carlos Tevez's final pay packet after his mansion was "trashed".
The club had paid the rent on the £1.5million home which needed up to £30,000 of repairs after the ace left.

A United source said: "The house was a tip and we made Carlos pay. We don't know who was responsible.

"But the matter has now been resolved."

There's a match report of our game on Saturday in The Sun, nothing really worth quoting. Both that report and this in The Mail single out Rooney for praise.
The Daily Star report on a special training regime for Michael Owen:

Sir Alex Ferguson was well aware of the striker’s injury problems before picking him up in a stunning free transfer.

So he and his coaches have devised a detailed plan that focuses on building up the muscles in the area where Owen has had problems in the past.

And so far the regime appears to be doing the trick as the 29-year-old striker has taken a full part in every pre-season session – impressing his new team-mates.

Owen’s programme focuses on the muscles around the knee in which he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the 2006 World Cup, as well as his hamstrings and groins, which have dogged him all his career.

Finally, The Guardian have an update on the Douglas Costa situation - pretty much as you were, but Chelsea are also sniffing abou - most important sentence:

For a deal to Old Trafford to materialise, Gremio will have to accept that United will not pay what they consider to be over the odds for a player who has only just broken into his club's first team. David Gill, United's chief executive, has already informed Gremio that a deal is impossible at the current price. Chelsea, similarly, are not interested unless the players valuation is slashed to a more realistic mark.