Rumors

(Image from here)

Vidic quashes rumours about his future:

"The first thing to say is that I have personally never said anything about Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan or any club," said Vidic.

"It's other people speaking about it. I never speak about my future so I don't really know why someone else does.

"I showed at Wigan on the pitch how I played and how happy I am at this club.

"Anyone who is a fan of United or the players would only have to see how I played to know how committed I am to the club.

"I have spoken with my agent. I know about all the rumours about me but I don't want it to have an impact on the club.

"It's not a good time for my club to be hearing those rumours. I'm here and I'm committed. I'll show that with how I play in matches.

"But I will never speak about my future and I will never talk about moving to other clubs.

"It's not my true that my wife isn't happy. I don't know how that rumour came out because she's never spoken about it. She's not what you'd call a famous wife."

Also on Vidic, he "escapes" punishment for the "clash" with Rodallega against Wigan:

the FA's disciplinary department asked Webb to review the television footage to ascertain whether he had seen the incident and, if not, whether he believed it constituted violent conduct.

Webb reported that he had been following the play and had not noticed the two players come together but he also felt the television pictures were inconclusive and could not say he was certain it was a deliberate offence.

Of course the reporting of this, using the word "escape", in this story, or "let off", already tells us the papers presume him guilty. Similarly, the Charity Shield:

Wayne Rooney was among the players who appeared and pre-season guidelines from the FA suggested Wembley beaks would step in to clamp down on player misbehaviour even if the match officials insisted they had not felt intimidated.

Despite the promise that “clubs can now be charged for instances where three or more players surround a referee in a 'confrontational manner’, Foy’s insistence that he did not feel he was under threat means that no action will be brought against United.

Which contradicts itself: The FA can charge even if the ref didn't feel intimidated - the ref didn't feel intimidated so no action can be taken. The better conclusion? We didn't surround the referee "in a confrontational manner," so there is no "let off."

The Mirror has a sourceless story about Anderson being involved in a "bust-up" with Sir Alex:

Manchester United midfielder Anderson has been told he can quit Old Trafford after a furious bust-up with Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Brazilian star left Fergie fuming after reacting badly to his failure to make the starting line-up for the Community Shield defeat by Chelsea.

The Scot was so angry he later confronted Anderson over his actions and was stunned by the 21-year-old’s refusal to back down.

Anderson insisted he was good enough to be in the team and was frustrated at being overlooked, with rookie Darron Gibson taking his place in the squad.

And with the Brazilian international claiming he would prefer to quit rather than sit on the sidelines, Ferguson is willing to grant him his wish.

Which, with its publishing being just after a great victory against Wigan and after Vidic pledges himself to the club after rumours of him moving on, seems very much to be an attempt to upset the solidarity of the club after we have gotten back on track. File under should-be-ignored-until-more-concrete-evidence-appears...

Similarly the ridiculous rumour in The Guardian that Carrick is on his way to Liverpool.

Finally, the ever sensible Henry Winter weighs in on Owen:

Even the passing of the years, and the ripping of the hamstrings, cannot diminish this regard. Rather than being "caned'' to borrow his description of recent bemusing criticism, Owen should be cherished. ...

His game is rooted in selfishness, in the necessarily blinkered task of finishing the creative approach work of others, but that does not mean the forward fails to understand the team ethos.

He played out of position for Newcastle. He never embarrasses employers with any off-field antics. His Manchester United colleagues talk of his immense application.

And he also echoes Sir Alex's pre-season words, on how other teams would have worked Liverpool out this season, in his match report from last night:

It would be wrong to venture that Benitez’s well-established system has been worked out by opposing managers but there is a predictability to Liverpool. Close down Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, push the full-backs deep, and you have a chance. O’Neill cracked Benitez’s 4-2-3-1 code with the pacey wide pair of James Milner and Ashley Young threatening on the break, often troubling Liverpool. In the middle, the outstanding Petrov disrupted red supply lines to Gerrard and Torres.