• Defender hails Scholes after midfielder's 100th league goal • Van der Sar optimistic ahead of Milan tie Rio Ferdinand has hailed Paul Scholes as "a true professional" after the 35-year-old scored his 100th league goal for Manchester United in the match against Wolves on Saturday. The former England midfielder scored the game's only goal to maintain United's winning form...

• Brazilian forward has recovered from hamstring injury • Pato hopes to help overturn 3-2 deficit from first leg Pato trained with Milan this morning and has been included in the squad to face Manchester United in the Champions League at Old Trafford on Wednesday. The Brazilian forward had been suffering from a hamstring injury and was left out of...

Today's fluff seemed like a good idea at the time The Mill woke this morning determined to purvey this morning's idle speculation in the form of rhyming verse. We got as far as 'The Mill woke this morn in poetical mood/Porridge and muesli are both kinds of food/Some of these couplets may not quite ring true/gossip and tit-tattle we're bringing...

Alarming news from Old Trafford. Asked about Wayne Rooney's fitness for the Champions League tie at home to Milan on Wednesday, Sir Alex Ferguson said: "The Wembley pitch has killed him, " conjuring visions of the not-so-hallowed turf's triffids doing away with England's World Cup hero designate. Fortunately, reports of Rooney's demise, like Mark Twain's, proved premature, and the knee...

A shotshy Dimitar Berbatov, why Alessandro Diamanti frustrates at West Ham and Mikel Arteta v Tim Cahill Berbatov: silky, intelligent and shotshy Wayne Rooney's absence for Manchester United meant Dimitar Berbatov played as a lone striker. While he was heavily involved in United's build-up, the Bulgarian has none of Rooney's thrust and only managed to one shot - blocked -...

• Group looking to raise £600m for takeover bid • City figures claim to have 'astonishing' support The battle for control of Manchester United is expected to intensify this week with the appointment of official banking advisers to the Red Knights, the group of City financiers who are trying to seize control of one of the world's biggest football brands....

After 19 years with United, the veteran right-back is wondering whether a career in management would be for him Gary Neville knows how the controversy industry works. "It's all noise, really. It's all fluff and noise, " he says, casting his thoughts back to the night he raised a finger to Carlos Tevez in that molten Carling Cup semi-final against...

; ; ; ;Fans fear the club's debt levels are putting its future at risk, but how likely is a bid by wealthy supporters to be successful? ; ;The takeover of Manchester United by the American Glazer family in 2005 was never popular with fans who feared their highly leveraged bid would lead the club to financial ruin and crimp...

; ; ; ;Consortium of bankers and businessmen seeking Old Trafford takeover could have to raise up to £1.5bn to complete their coup ; ;As the teams came out of the tunnel at the Molineux stadium yesterday evening for the Premier League fixture between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United, the away section was once again awash with the green and...

; ; ; ;• Support would boost Red Knights ;• Manager denies claim over buyout ; ;Senior City financiers allied to ;the wealthy consortium planning a takeover of Manchester United ; claim Sir Alex Ferguson is supporting the controversial bid. ; ;Several key sources have told the ;Observer ; that they believe that the Old Trafford manager would be prepared...

; ; ; ;Sport is following business and the public sector in taking a co-operative approach ; ;The Red Knights say if they buy Manchester United, the club's supporters trust will be centrally involved in running the club. If so, they would follow a well-trodden path. In the UK more than 160 clubs are owned by fans outright. They include...

; ; ; ;• Rooney set to miss Milan return with knee injury ;• Fábregas pulls hamstring in win over Burnley ; ;Manchester United and Arsenal may have to play their Champions League second-leg matches this week without key players Wayne Rooney and Cesc Fábregas. ; ;Rooney is expected to sit out United's home tie against Milan with a knee...

; ; ; ;Paul Scholes' 100th Premier League goal gave Manchester United a valuable three points in a hardfought victory at Molineux. The visitors were struggling to overcome the absence of their two injured strikers until one of their most reliable, if no longer prolific, goalscorers came friom midfield to take them back above Chelsea at the top of the...

; ; ; ;A classy goal from Paul Scholes, his 100th in the Premier League, put United top of the table ; ; ; ;Preamble ; Hello. So can Manchester United return to the table by ending their 28-year drought without a league victory at Molineux? In that time they have failed to win ;two whole games ;, and on...

; ; ; ;An FA Cup run with Fulham is a taste of things to come for the impressive centre-half for Manchester United ; ;Chris Smalling grew up in a household that in footballing terms was quite a battleground. His mum, Theresa, followed Tottenham. He supported Arsenal. His father, Lloyd, and younger brother Jason plumped for Manchester United. Little did...

; ; ; ;• Manager has no issue with fans' protests ;• City group value United at close to £800m ; ; ; ;The group of wealthy Manchester United fans looking to wrest the club from the Glazers today moved to play down speculation that they would pay up to £1.5bn, believing it to be worth little more than half...

; ; ; ;• Ferguson expected Rooney to withdraw from England friendly ;• Striker doubtful for Wolves game due to swollen knee ; ; ; ;Manchester United's increased reliance on Wayne Rooney after ;Michael Owen was ruled out for the season ; has led to Sir Alex Ferguson clashing with the Premier League's leading scorer. Ferguson, reeling from the news...

; ; ; ;He has played for 18 months but Old Trafford's forgotten man is keen to prove he is not an expensive mistake ; ;As Michael Owen left Wembley last Sunday he was happily oblivious that the nagging pain at the back of his leg was about to bring his season to a juddering halt. Some of the other...

; ; ; ;• Manager says 'the club is not for sale' ;• Scot has 'no problem with protest' from fans ; ;Sir Alex Ferguson has dismissed the chances of the Red Knights consortium succeeding in its attempt to buy Manchester United from the Glazer family. ; ;The United manager said: "[The chief executive] David Gill summed it up earlier...

; ; ; ;• Midfielder to play in reserve match on Thursday ;• Ferguson says Federico Macheda also near comeback ; ;Owen Hargreaves is set to make a comeback for Manchester United in a reserves match on Thursday. The England midfielder has been out of action since September 2008 with a series of knee problems. ; ;Hargreaves had operations on...

; ; ; ;• Manchester United striker aims to return in 'peak condition' ;• Sir Alex Ferguson says Wembley pitch partly to blame ; ; ;Michael Owen's first season at Manchester United has been brought to a halt in a familiar story of injury and disappointment after it emerged that the striker needs an operation and will miss the remainder...

;This week's business stories in pictures ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

The object of their ire is the Glazer family, who five years ago bought what was then the world's richest club – and have saddled it with a record debt of £716m Over the last few weeks, at match after match, Manchester United fans have been wearing green and gold, rather than the club red. The switch is the work...

Bank's chief economist under pressure over his involvement with Red Knights' bid for Manchester United Goldman Sachs is considering forcing Jim O'Neill, the bank's chief economist, to choose between his job and his involvement with the Red Knights group of financiers and businessmen, who are seeking to wrest control of Manchester United football club from the Glazer family. O'Neill is...

The economist doesn't deserve to be sent off for declaring his support for Manchester United Rule one of Goldman Sachs's business principles states: "Our clients' interests always come first." Rule two starts: "Our assets are our people." So what happens when these principles collide? We may be about to find out because Jim O'Neill, Goldman's highly regarded chief economist, has...

This may go down as a watershed moment in many football fans' increasingly fractious relationships with the people who own their clubs The intersections of American politics and English football have traditionally been on the rare side, unless you count Tony Crosland dragging Henry Kissinger to a couple of matches in 1976. The good doctor saw Grimsby Town play Gillingham,...

• Untapped millions to be made from internet, says source • Mystery surrounds Portsmouth's executive director When the Red Knight group announced its intention to bid for Manchester United the Glazer family instantly responded by saying: "The club is not for sale." Well they would say that, wouldn't they? But pause for a second and consider that perhaps United really...

• Consortium in talks with potential overseas investors • Inquiries from Europe, Asia and the Middle East Wealthy foreign investors have approached the Red Knights group of City financiers and businessmen looking to wrest control of Manchester United from the Glazer family. Interest from European, Asian and Middle Eastern multimillionaires in a possible takeover of United has boosted hopes the...

• Manager 'comfortable' under Glazers, says chief executive • £81m from Cristiano Ronaldo sale 'is in the bank account' Manchester United's chief executive, David Gill, said tonight he is "confident" that the club's beleaguered American owners, the Glazer family, retain the support of Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager who has won 26 trophies in 24 years at Old Trafford. "We...

• Group's proposal would not work, says chief executive • Keith Harris dismissed as a publicity seeker Manchester United's chief executive, David Gill, last night rounded on the figurehead of the Red Knights group that claims to be preparing a bid for the club. Keith Harris, the former Football League chairman whose Seymour Pierce stockbroker has been at the centre...

Football's commercialisation has benefited fans – and if the Red Knights buy Manchester United they'll treat it as a business too News that control of Manchester United may be wrested from the Glazer family has set thousands of fans' mouths watering at the prospect. Opposition to foreign ownership of British football teams has been growing for years, and supporters' calls...

• Gill questions practicality of Red Knights bid • 'The Glazers are running the club in the right way' Manchester United's chief executive, David Gill, today said the Glazers do not want to sell the club and questioned the practicality of the Red Knights' possible takeover bid . The Red Knights are targeting the Glazer family's debts as part of...

The more David Cameron tries to shrug it off, the more people wonder what hold Lord Ashcroft has over him – or the party What a cheering story on today's Guardian City pages today, one which salutes the power of great wealth to do good as well as harm, a power which capitalism has been in danger of smothering by...

Today's Mill was disappointed to discover they aren't really selling Marmite fabric softener If there is one thing the Mill hates, it's broccoli. Unfortunately there isn't one thing we hate, there are several, so instead of boring you with the full list we'll stick to the one that's got our goat this morning: incorrect use of acronyms. For once the...

Owen Gibson on Red Knights' bid for Manchester United Owen Gibson

Already as many as 50 Manchester United fans have pledged to come up with £10m-£15m and more are coming forward The substance of the men who attended Monday's meeting of the Red Knights should reassure Manchester United supporters that the mountainous task of replacing the Glazers can possibly be scaled, although these are the early days of planning the ascent....

The Manchester United star on life outside football, the World Cup Wags – and finding out he was England's new captain from the TV news I've only just arrived in Alderley Edge, the village in Cheshire where Premier League footballers live in pavilioned splendour, when some bloke in an Audi sports car charging out of the car park at 70mph...

The Manchester United forward's latest addition to his armoury is another step on the path to greatness The Germans have a knack for bestowing their football players with pithy nicknames: Kaiser for Franz Beckenbauer, Bomber for Gerd Müller and Afro-Paule for the magnificently hirsute Paul Breitner. But my favourite has always been Kopfballungeheuer, the Header Beast, for Horst Hrubesch, the...

Plus: Clubs named after people (3); Barcelona's imperious streak; and Maggie Thatcher's boys taking a hell of a beating in a Knowledge anniversary special. Send your questions and answers to knowledge@guardian.co.uk "Wayne Bridge's decision to withdraw from England's World Cup squad set me thinking about other players who were team-mates despite being sworn enemies, " writes Lex Sim. "One well-known...

• Manager a friend of key player in takeover • Ferguson stays loyal to Glazers in public One of the more intriguing issues of a potentially long and drawn-out takeover campaign is what Sir Alex Ferguson makes of one of his close allies emerging as the main player behind the plans to raise enough bags of gold to persuade the...

A group of City moguls known as the Red Knights are considering a bid for Manchester United but, given the recent travails of Britain's bankers, should fans be welcoming the news?

The key questions that have led supporters to crave a change at the top Why did the Glazers have to refinance? The Manchester United owners successfully replaced their £509m bank debt with a £512m bond in order to allow them to funnel money back to their Red Football Joint Venture parent company. In turn, that enables them to pay off...

Jim O'Neill, Goldman Sachs economist emerges as champion to lead fight against Man United's foreign owners It may seem strange that the chief economist of Goldman Sachs is behind an audacious plot to wrest control of Manchester United from the American Glazer family. But Jim O'Neill, below, is a lifelong United supporter whose London office is decorated with splashes of...

• Manchester United owners want to keep club until 2017 • Red Knights takeover plan in early stages On the day that a group of wealthy and well connected Manchester United fans were forced to declare publicly plans to mount an audacious bid for the club, the Glazer family that have become the object of fury vowed to stay in...

If it were only a question of money, the Glazers might have the upper hand in the battle over Manchester United – but this is football The "high net worth" individuals – they mean "rich" – seeking to get the Glazers out of Manchester United have the right idea. The quickest way to secure a change of ownership would involve...

Bankers hoping to launch a £1bn bid to buy United are building on the efforts of fans to form a united front The first public statement put out by the Red Knights about their plans to buy Manchester United prominently reflects the work carried out in the office block Mancunians know better as the place where you are sent to...

May the Red Knights oust the Glazers. But this campaign should encourage fans to demand real collective ownership A consortium of City bankers is planning a £1bn takeover bid . Such news rarely sounds as promising as it will to Manchester United fans today. The deep antipathy to the Glazer family has hardened after the financial results of their ownership...

Following the announcement that a group of wealthy City bankers plans to launch a takeover attempt for Manchester United, sports correspondent Owen Gibson and head of business Dan Roberts give their views Owen Gibson Dan Roberts John Domokos

• Manchester United defender has a knee injury • Brother Corry is called up in his place Jonny Evans has pulled out of Northern Ireland's friendly against Albania tomorrow. The Manchester United defender returned to his club after taking a knock on his knee during the Carling Cup victory over Aston Villa on Sunday at Wembley. The decision was taken...

As the Red Knights propose their intentions to take over at Old Trafford we look at other ownership models Leveraged ownership (Manchester United, Liverpool) Both the Glazer family and Tom Hicks and George Gillett financed their takeovers by using their other assets as collateral for loans. In both cases the football clubs' revenue potential has been used to service those...

• Group of wealthy fans called Red Knights met in London • Red Knights working on proposal to be put to Glazer Family The group of wealthy and well-connected Manchester United fans known as the Red Knights today confirmed that they are putting together a bid for Manchester United. "Following the intense media speculation overnight, we can confirm that a...

• Striker would rather have support role than play for lesser side • Owen blames Rooney's form for keeping him out of team Michael Owen has no intention of leaving Manchester United in the summer, despite his lack of first-team opportunities this season, with the former England international maintaining he would rather be "playing a lesser role" at a leading...

; ; ; ;The men involved in a takeover bid for Manchester United are a mixture of City bankers and lawyers and lifelong United fans ; ; ;Keith Harris ; ; ;A former HSBC Investment bank chief executive, the Seymour Pierce stockbroker has become a well-known name in football thanks to his involvement in takeovers of West Ham, Manchester City...

; ; ; ;Red Knights ride to the rescue of United's green-and-gold loyalists but will the Glazers play ball? ; ;During all the Manchester United fans' long campaigning against what they have seen as serial financial exploitation of them and their cherished club, beginning with the Stock Market plc and ending with the Glazer family, they have nurtured the hope...

; ; ; ;• Real Madrid break €400m barrier to stay top ;• Seven English clubs on the annual top 20 list ; ; ; ;Ten months ago Manchester United were soundly beaten by Barcelona in the Champions League final and now they have been overtaken by the Catalan club in revenue-generating terms as well, according to the latest annual...

; ; ; ;• 'It's not good enough, ' says England midfielder ;• England team face same surface against Egypt ; ;Manchester United and Aston Villa players have condemned the state of the Wembley surface during the Carling Cup final, with James Milner, who will feature with England back at the national stadium tomorrow, insisting the pitch was not up...

; ; ; ;• Red Knights confident they can raise money ;• Club not for sale, says under-fire Glazer family ; ;The Glazer family, under pressure from fans protesting at their ownership, said tonight that Manchester United were "not for sale" after it emerged that a group of influential City figures known as the Red Knights had met to consider...