Manchester United midfielder Anderson makes his return to reserve team action
Brazilian midfielder Anderson finally made his much awaited return to action following his cruciate ligament injury suffered to his knee. The midfielder made a very impressive 60 minute appearance for United’s reserve line-up against Manchester City’s 48 million pound reserve squad. This was, for the first time that the player made an appearance in a match since his injury back in February 2010. Anderson was obviously delighted to be back in action and wanted to show his worth for the club.
Manchester United employed a lot of first team players in the reserves match with the likes of Michael Carrick, Chris Smalling and Gary Neville also featuring in the match. The newly signed Portuguese forward Bebe, however, couldn’t find a place in the match. The player only made his first team training last Thursday, following his successful recovery from a surgery on his knee.
Anderson joined Manchester United back in 2007 from FC Porto and has since made over 50 appearances for the club. United paid 19 million pounds for the then teenager and the youngster showed much promise in midfield. In the reserves match, Anderson looked sharp in midfield and played for 60 minutes before being replaced by Dudgeon on the hour mark. United won 3-1 on the day, which was Manchester Senior Cup match played at Hyde’s Ewen Fields ground.
Manchester City first team coach Roberto Mancini was amongst the spectators in the stadium as City took an early lead. A close range strike from Alex Nimely gave City the first half lead. The second half saw United making a comeback with two goals from Federico Macheda brought the match into United’s hands. Moments later, Tom Cleverly’s close range effort wrapped it for Solskjaer’s men as United won by 3-1 on the day.
In other news, Manchester United left back Patrice Evra has filed an official appeal against his 5 match ban from the French national side. The French Football Federation (PFF) imposed a five match ban on the French captain owing to the World Cup where players allegedly boycotted a training session in South Africa. France exited the World Cup in the group stages after failing to win a single match, which was their worst performance in years. Previously, the French reached the final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup and lost on penalties against Italy.
Evra's lawyer, Jean-Yves Foucard, said: "Patrice Evra has decided to appeal in that nothing untoward can be ascribed to him on an individual basis given that the responsibility for the said events on the [team] bus at Knysna is, to all evidence, collective."
Manchester United’s title hopes were dealt with a serious blow following their 2-2 draw at Fulham. The Red Devils took the early lead owing to Paul Scholes’ long distance strike. The hosts equalized in the second half, owing to an own goal. Consequently, Manchester United saw themselves in the lead once again. The drama continued as United earned a penalty right towards the end of the match. Serious leadership issues surfaced as to who should take the penalty, and Nani stepped up at the spot. The Portuguese winger could have given the Manchester club a 3-1 lead, but failed to convert the penalty. Goalkeeper Stockdale made an impressive save and the match was still stuck a 2-1. In the final minute of the match, Brede Hangeland, who scored the own goal, gave Fulham the equalising goal, neutralizing his previous error. At the final whistle, the match ended at 2-2 and new manager Mark Hughes was able to maintain the impressive home record at Craven Cottage. Title holders Chelsea are yet to lose a single match in the new season as Ancelotti’s men have scored 6 goals each in both of these matches. The team is just unstoppable and Sir Alex would be looking to bounce back from the draw at Fulham. United host West Ham next and nothing less than all three points are expected from the Red Devils.
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