Capello Turns to Youth

Fabio Capello has turned to youth as Rio Ferdinand misses out on the squad for England's Euro 2012 qualifying double-header against Bulgaria and Wales.

Ferdinand, who injured his hamstring against West Brom a fortnight ago, was not considered fit enough to make the 25-man squad, but his Manchester United team-mates Chris Smalling and Phil Jones have been called up.

Jones, 19, was named in the provisional squad for England's postponed friendly against Netherlands earlier this month, but could be in line to receive his first cap in the absence of his United team-mate.

"Jones is so young, so good," Capello said this week. "He is a really good talent for England, like Jack Wilshere. He is a player who has played well at every level. He has never played with the national team but he is the future. When you find the talent, you need to use it."

Tom Cleverley, Ashley Young and Wayne Rooney make up a five-strong United contingent, but rivals Manchester City are the best-represented team with Joe Hart, Joleon Lescott,Micah Richards, Gareth Barry, Adam Johnson and James Milner all included.

Aston Villa striker Darren Bent returns to the squad after pulling out of England's last training camp with a shoulder problem.

England squad: Joe Hart, Robert Green, David Stockdale; Ashley Cole, Gary Cahill, John Terry, Leighton Baines, Phil Jagielka, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Micah Richards, Joleon Lescott; Stewart Downing, Gareth Barry, Adam Johnson, James Milner, Frank Lampard, Tom Cleverley, Ashley Young, Scott Parker, Theo Walcott; Darren Bent, Andy Carroll, Wayne Rooney, Jermain Defoe

'Humiliated' Wenger Refuses to Quit

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitted he was left embarrassed by the emphatic nature of his side's 8-2 defeat to Manchester United, but with the pressure mounting on him denied he would quit his post.

Wenger has been under tremendous pressure in recent weeks, with calls for him to end his 15-year association with Arsenal growing louder as the Gunners have struggled on the pitch and sold star players Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas.

But the Frenchman, whose three Premier League title triumphs makes him the most successful manager in the club's history, says he has no plans to leave Emirates Stadium.

"You feel humiliated when you concede eight goals,'' Wenger said. "It was a terrible day for us, it was a combination of an under-strength team and weakness. We collapsed physically in the second half.''

Asked if he might think about resigning during the upcoming international break, he was initially coy, saying: "I believe we have a break before the next game.''

However, he then ruled out the possibility, adding: "No, not at all.''

With three days to go before the end of the transfer window Wenger is under pressure to bring in new names, although he was again guarded about the addition of any players.

"I know that in England when you lose a game signings are always the solution,'' he said. "We had eight players out today. Anybody would suffer with eight players missing.''

Sir Alex Ferguson said he felt sorry for Wenger after the result.

"Of course I feel sympathy for him," Ferguson said. "He is a great football man. He has done an incredible job for Arsenal for 15 years. He has given them a quality of football that they have never experienced. He brought some exciting players to the club. He deserves respect for that."

He added: "When you play Arsenal, you don't expect that. We have had some great results against them in the past but when you see Arsenal had a weakened team like that, you do expect to score goals because all their quality was in the forward positions.

"When we hit form like that, someone suffers. Arsenal unfortunately suffered."

United Show No Mercy

Manchester United piled the misery on under-fire Arsene Wenger with an emphatic 8-2 victory over Arsenal. United hit seven past the Gunners, with Wayne Rooney netting a hat-trick and Danny Welbeck, Nani, Ashley Young (2) and Park Ji-Sung scoring the others

Hargreaves Offered to Play For Free

Former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves has revealed he offered to play for the club for free as he tried to salvage his Old Trafford career.

Hargreaves endured an injury-ravaged final few seasons at the club, failing to play a full game during the final two years of his contract as he struggled with persistent injury troubles.

With his deal at the club having expired in the summer, Sir Alex Ferguson understandably decided to release the player he signed from Bayern Munich for £17 million in 2007. Hargreaves, however, has revealed how desperate he was to stay at the club and try to prove his fitness.

"At one stage I did offer to play for nothing this season, just to stay on,'' Hargreaves told the Daily Mail, "but they said, 'You don't want to do that' and they were probably right'.

"I don't blame them for letting me go. I can understand it. There comes a point when you have to say, 'This hasn't worked out. The game has moved on. See you later, all the best'."

Having spent the summer working hard to regain full fitness, Hargreaves is yet to find a new club, but he has attracted interest from Premier League side West Brom. Wherever he eventually signs, the 30-year-old is confident his body will hold up to the rigours of top-flight football and even believes he can force his way back into Fabio Capello's plans for next summer's European Championships.

"I'm going to blow people away,'' he said. "I'm coming back believing I can return to the level I was at before. My body feels great and my knees are perfect.

"I've just got this huge chip on my shoulder because I've been out for three years and people think I'm dead and buried, but right now I'd like to think I can play 40 games this season and, with the right care, I believe I can train every day. I hope to be back in the England side for the European Championships next summer. You have to have ambition.''

Hargreaves attracted attention earlier in the summer for a series of videos that were posted on YouTube on his behalf as he demonstrated his fitness in a series of drills. The midfielder had the videos made to attract the interest of clubs as he does not employ an agent, and says he was unfazed by the jokes they created when the media discovered them.

"It ended up on YouTube because the files were too big to email to specific people, specific clubs,'' he said, "so I put them on YouTube so they could see it. I know it became a bit of a story when people found it in the public domain but I don't really care. No big deal.''

Schmeichel Hits Back at De Gea Criticism

Manchester United goalkeeping great Peter Schmeichel has backed under-fire David De Gea to prove his worth at Old Trafford.David De Gea, who joined United for a reported transfer fee of £17.6 million from Atletico Madrid this summer, is under the microscope after some shaky early performances between the posts for the Red Devils.

However, the 20-year-old goalkeeper looked more solid against Tottenham in United's 3-0 win on Monday and Danish legend Schmeichel believes there is much more to come from him, given time.

"He's very unfairly, in my opinion, been criticised, even before he played his first game," Schmeichel told Five Live Sport. "I wouldn't say he's made massive mistakes."

Schmeichel added: "I thought he showed tremendous character in the game against Tottenham the other day. He wasn't fazed by being at Old Trafford.

"Everything he did was good - his catching, distribution was spot on. I think he has learned something.

"He's only young and it takes a little bit of time to adjust to the kind of football we play in the Premier League, the kind of players you play against and the kind of referees we have, who allow a lot more physical contact.

"He needs to learn and I think he has a great future ahead of him."

Ferguson Defends Wenger

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has defended under-fire Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger ahead of Sunday's Premier League meeting between the two sides. Wenger has come under scrutiny after Arsenal failed to end their six-year search for silverware last season, the club having last claimed glory in the 2005 FA Cup final against the Red Devils.

The French coach has also come in for criticism for his transfer policy after both Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri were sold this summer, while Gervinho and kids Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Carl Jenkinson are Wenger's only additions to the squad so far.

But Ferguson, who locks horns with Wenger this weekend at Old Trafford, said: "I would like to know who is going to replace him.

"The work he has done in the 15 years he has been at the club is the best in Arsenal's history. Yes, he has not won a trophy for six years but what does that mean? The quality of his side has not been reduced.''

Cech Set to Return for Man Utd Clash

Petr Cech is ready to give Chelsea a boost after he predicted he will be back in action sooner than the original timescale.

Cech was ruled out for a month on August 18 after he suffered a knee injury in training. Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas initially thought the situation could have been even worse, after the keeper fell under serious weight.

It was expected Cech would be out until the back end of September, but the towering keeper is already claiming he will return inside that time frame. The timing of Cech's comeback is critical, with Manchester United scheduled for September 18.

"The rehabilitation is going according to plan," Cech told his personal website. "I don't want to jinx anything but it seems that I should be ready to return to action inside the original timescale.

"I have been getting various forms of treatment and have been working on my fitness.

"I have been in the gym and catching a few balls, even though I can only do it sitting down. The main reason for doing that work is so I don't miss out on the practice."

Ferguson Ends BBC Feud After 7 Years

Sir Alex Ferguson has put an end to his long-running feud with the BBC. Ferguson began his boycott in 2004 after it made allegations against his son, Jason, in a TV documentary entitled "Fergie & Son".

A statement said: "Sir Alex and the BBC have put behind them the difficulties which led to Sir Alex feeling unable to appear on BBC programmes."

The joint statement, released on Thursday, follows a meeting between Sir Alex and the BBC's director general, Mark Thompson, and BBC North director Peter Salmon.

It added: "The issues have been resolved to the satisfaction of both parties. Sir Alex will now make himself available to the BBC for Match of the Day, Radio 5 live and other outlets as agreed. No further comment will be made by either party on this issue."

The lines of communication are expected to open when Manchester United host Arsenal on Sunday.

Fergie Warning for Rio and Vidic

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has warned injured defenders Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic they must fight to win back their places in the team.

Skipper Vidic and 32-year-old Ferdinand have formed the regular centre-back pairing in United's much vaunted defence for almost five years but the duo now face a challenge from a new batch of youngsters at Old Trafford.

United beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 on Monday night with Phil Jones, 19, Jonny Evans, 23, and Chris Smalling, 21, making up the back four, along with Patrice Evra, and the trio made a lasting impression on the United manager.

While Vidic is out for three weeks with a calf injury, Ferdinand could be fit for United's Premier League match with Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday, but Ferguson said it will be a tough decision as to how to restore him to the team.

"Rio and Nemanja are aware of the abilities of the young players. There is no question about that," Ferguson told The Sun. "When they are both fit, or one of them is, I will have a decision to make."

Ferguson is eager to refresh the United team with young talent this season, with the likes of midfielder Tom Cleverley, 22, and striker Danny Welbeck, 20, being handed starting berths.

The United team that beat Tottenham at Old Trafford was the second-youngest Ferguson had fielded in Premier League history, with an average age of 23 years 191 days.

Evra: Beware Our Amazing Youngsters

Patrice Evra has hailed the "amazing" young talents at Manchester United who came to the fore in the 3-0 thrashing of Tottenham Hotspur on Monday.

Danny Welbeck was the star of the show for United, scoring one goal and creating another, while Jonny Evans, Phil Jones andTom Cleverley all produced composed performances that belied their tender years.

The emerging group at United have earned comparisons to the last so-called "golden generation" who learned their trade at Old Trafford - the likes of David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and the Neville brothers - and Evra believes the current bunch are poised to take the Premier League by storm.

"A lot of people talk about the academy here, and the young players showed what they can do," Evra said in the Daily Mail. "They have such composure, it is amazing. They want to prove to the manager they are ready to play in the first team.

"We have lost a lot of experience in Edwin van der Sar, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville, but you can see how the team is fresh and full of energy. The football we are playing is quick. It is up to the likes of myself, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic to make sure these boys keep developing."

Meanwhile, Welbeck has warned United's strikers that he is coming for their first-team place. "There is no better feeling for a Manc kid than scoring for United," he said. "I want more if it. Tom Cleverley and I were both at the academy for more than ten years, so to come through and start in the first team is a massive achievement."

Fergie: I Have a Big Problem Now

Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted he has a striker problem looming at Manchester United as Javier Hernandez played a minimal role against Tottenham after making a surprise return as a substitute.

The return of Danny Welbeck, Mame Biram Diouf and Federico Macheda from their various loan spells has bolstered the United frontline although the latter two did not even make the bench for the 3-0 win over Tottenham, along with Michael Owen, who was ruled out through injury.

Last season's Golden Boot winner Dimitar Berbatov also played no part, whilst Welbeck and Wayne Rooney both found the net as United maintained their 100% start.

But now the selection dilemmas start, with United facing up to a crunch clash with ailing rivals Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday.

''If you look at Berbatov, Owen, Hernandez and Rooney, they all have different qualities,'' Ferguson said. ''You have to utilise all that and make changes as best you can.

''The horrible part for me now is with having Javier back, what do we do? It is going to be a big problem for me.''

At least one departure looks inevitable before the transfer window closes, and possibly more than that.

Welbeck will not be shunted through the exit door though after following up an impressive pre-season campaign by scoring United's second-half opener, then brilliantly setting up Anderson before Rooney wrapped up a comfortable win that maintained their 100% start and left them adrift of early pace-setters Manchester City by the slenderest of goal difference deficits.

''Danny is a big, rangy, long-legged boy who can gallop really quickly,'' Ferguson said. ''Once he gets his legs going he is quick. He is a good footballer and has a great attitude when he loses the ball.

''He has always had ability but made slow progress because when he was growing he had a bit of a knee growth problem, so we knew we had to wait for him. We put him on loan to Sunderland last season and that is when he became a man. He has grown up. He is still only 20 years of age and the lad has a great future.''