(Image from here - and, yes, I'm really quite proud of the fact that I managed to not put up a picture of a wolf... the pride may be a little early though, still the match preview to get through, and I do like wolves...)The United manager remembered Rooney's debut, in a 6-2 win, as a "remarkable feat", not least as the player had been injured and not played for 10 weeks. "His progress has at no point disappointed us," he said. "When we signed him as a kid we thought he would become a really top player and he is going in that direction, without question. He is blessed with certain ingredients that only great players have. He has that hunger and determination.And on the game itself and qualifying from the group:
"Roy Keane, Bryan Robson, Steve Bruce – we have had countless players with that great desire. These players want to win every match and every training session. Wayne is blessed with that and that will never change. He is blessed because these are wonderful things to take into a game these days. You sometimes wonder about the criticism about the money players get but then when you look at the amount of effort Wayne puts into his work then he is worth every penny. He plays as if he means it and it's a wonderful thing to have."
"It would be great to get the opportunity of qualifying early," says the Reds' boss.And on Jonny Evans:
"We all think the same. If you can get that 10 points quickly then you can give younger players an opportunity. You can change your team.
"But you have to be careful you don't be too cocky. You have still got to win your games and we have only played once.
"It was a fantastic result for us away from home in Turkey. It was a real bonus for us. But we have to maintain our consistency and concentration in these important matches.
"We always believe if your home record is good, it gives you a good chance. Over the years, our home record has been very good.
"Wolfsburg, though, will be our biggest challengers. They won their first game (against CSKA Moscow) so they are off to a good start. They are the main dangers to qualifying.
"They are coming to Old Trafford tonight and most of their players have never been here. Sometimes it is an incentive - sometimes a drawback."
"Sometimes I don't know whether I am doing the right thing leaving Jonny out because his performance level has been so high," said Ferguson.The Mirror reports how Evans's girlfriend was at the press conference while Sir Alex talked about marriage:
"At times I have been unfair to him.
"But he is still young. He has a great future here and time will come when I have to put him in.
"The great thing about footballers and young players in particular is that one summer they come back and they are a different player.
"They have a different physique and they tell you by their performance that it is time for them to go into the team.
"It has happened countless times at this club and I would think it is a great worry for any experienced player that one of their own is going to take their place."
Fergie talked of how marriage to wife Coleen had seen Wayne Rooney mature but Evans, 22, tried to deflect the question of getting hitched when it was put to him.
"I really don't want to talk about it," said the United defender. "Especially as my girlfriend is in the middle of you all.
"She's on a placement with ITV this week. She's right there in the middle."
The revelation saw Fergie implore Evans' girlfriend to march him down the aisle. "Get him tied down dear," said a smiling Fergie.
"Rings are cheap now. In fact I was arranging Jonny’s bands for his marriage this weekend, unbeknown to him.
"Seriously though, marriage helps footballers, I've always thought that. I'm an advocate of that.
"It helps players settle down, I really think that. You know where are they are and it's good for the stability of a footballer."
Sticking with the game, The Guardian Blog has a look at Wolfsburg's strikers:
It goes on with some quotes and some history, worth a look.Edin Dzeko is tall and physically imposing, a target man who from an early age has been described as "an English-style striker". Zvjezdan Misimovic is slow and perhaps a little rounder than most footballers, but blessed with the vision and technical excellence that places him squarely in the great tradition of Balkan playmakers. Dzeko is a Bosnian Muslim who lived in Sarajevo through the siege in 1992-96; Misimovic is a Bosnian Serb who was born and raised in Munich and played at youth level for Yugoslavia.
They are, in short, a couple odder than Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, and yet they have combined to lead Bosnia to the brink of World Cup qualification and, with Grafite adding Brazilian dazzle, they were instrumental in Wolfsburg's Bundesliga triumph last season.
Elsewhere, there's an interview with Michael Owen featured in a few papers this morning, probably the best summary is in The Times, worth reading the lot, a couple of sample quotes, on the Man City goal and on signing:
“You can count on one hand the occasions when you actually just lose it. You have to go home and think, ‘What did I do for 10, 15 seconds there?’ ” ...
“To score a goal, such a dramatic goal, against your arch rivals, I don’t need to build it up, but it did a lot for me,” he says, beaming. ...
“Against City, it was a classic situation where the ball is cleared and I knew there was no one behind me.
“It could have taken an eye-through-a-needle pass, but, because there’s no right back there, because he’s tucked in, I thought I can make Giggsy’s pass as easy as possible for him by pulling out as far as I could. So I’m back-pedalling as quick as possible. And as soon as Giggsy claps eyes on me, he’s on with the pass.
“The first touch, that’s the thing that obviously makes the goal. You will always hear people in the game, even my dad, talk about your first touch. It was obviously a nice goal, but it was made much easier first by a fantastic ball and also that I couldn’t have placed it in a better position.”
“The manager’s voice is pretty distinctive,” Owen says, “so I knew it wasn’t a wind-up. He said, ‘We are looking for a striker. I’m going to be up front, we went for Benzema and once that was a no-go we looked around for players who are going to score goals.
“Obviously the big question is if you are fit, but if you are and we can get plenty of games, then words to the effect that it’s a no-brainer. Anyway, there’s no point in talking on the phone, we’ll chat about it tomorrow if you are free and fancy coming round.”
Breakfast chez Ferguson is not something that many players have experienced, not even United stalwarts. “I had a few butterflies before I went there,” Owen says. “I listened more than I talked, which I thought was pretty wise. He said, ‘I know what has happened over the past few years, I know you haven’t lost anything, you are only 29, for crying out loud.’
“I wasn’t sure if we were just going to chat, but then I realised, ‘Oh my God, he definitely wants to sign me!’ ”
Carlos Tevez whines on a bit more:
"I've decided not to celebrate my goals out of respect to West Ham."They were my first club in England and, in my heart, part of me will always be a Hammer.
"In the derby against United earlier this month I had also decided not to celebrate our goals.
"But after the bad treatment I received from the United fans that day, I have changed my stance.
"If I score in the next derby in April I am sure I will celebrate."
Finally, The Sun have us after Gary Cahill:
MANCHESTER UNITED are the latest club to keep tabs on Bolton defender Gary Cahill.Alex Ferguson's scouts saw him net his first goal for the Trotters during the Carling Cup win over West Ham last week.
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