Overly Dramatic Truth

(Image from here)

So the Anderson "bust up" turned out to be a mild "disagreement":

Anderson told the Daily Mail: "I believed that I would play in the Community Shield but that is forgotten now.

"I thought that, without Cristiano Ronaldo around, I could to play more and that has been my challenge from pre-season onwards.

"But the coach decides the teams and to discuss this with him is foolish because he is the chief. I do not want to leave United. No.

"Sir Alex Ferguson has demanded a bigger effort from me and I accept that. Because to get into this United team is very complicated and difficult for any player."

I love this paragraph from The Times:

The matter was kept in-house for a fortnight, but witnesses have now reluctantly confirmed that Anderson, having expressed fury at his omission in front of his team-mates, threatened to find a new club and that Ferguson, appalled by the player’s attitude, said that he was prepared to sell him.

And then they just have two different sources saying two different things:

One source said that the matter is “over” and that Anderson is in Ferguson’s plans to start the game against Arsenal, but another suggested that the lingering tension between manager and player raises doubts about the 21-year-old’s long-term future at United.

I noticed this Arjen Robben story yesterday but ignored it. Seeing as it's grown into a bigger story today, I might as well quote from it, with a large pinch of salt:

United have been quoted £26million but the Red Devils plan to force the price down this weekend.

Old Trafford chiefs will begin the process with a bid of around £11m - but an offer of £15m may be enough to bag the winger.

Robben, 26, is seen as the creative spark which can help fill the void left by £80m Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Telegraph report on Park's contract negotiations:

Park has made it clear to United that he wants to commit to new terms and the club are confident that negotiations will reach a swift conclusion.

A spokesman for Park's representatives said: "It is hard to reveal specific content about the deal, but when we sign with United, we will make an announcement."

The Guardian on Rio's return from injury:

"It's improving, I'm a bit ahead of schedule," Ferdinand said. "I've been training really hard the last few days. I'm not where I want to be obviously on the pitch, but in a couple of weeks I'll be back on the pitch playing again. Hopefully the match after the internationals I will be fit so that's what I'll be aiming for."

And The Independent (and lots of other papers), report that Owen probably won't make the next England squad, or perhaps any, ever:

The way that the Italian has structured his squad means that of the four strikers he will select, two will be of the target-man variety – Emile Heskey, Peter Crouch or Carlton Cole – and the other two will be the category into which Rooney, Defoe and Owen fall.

That means that it will be extremely difficult for Owen to re-establish himself before the World Cup finals unless there is a major injury to Rooney – the star player – or Defoe, whose six goals already this season, including two for England against the Netherlands earlier this month, make him the country's in-form striker.