Rodwell Move not Already Agreed

Everton manager David Moyes has rejected claims that a deal is already in place which will see Jack Rodwell move to Manchester United in the summer.United have been linked with Rodwell for the past two seasons and press speculation has suggested that the two clubs have agreed a fee for the England Under-21 international to tread the same path as Wayne Rooney in 2004.Moyes insisted: "We are not vulnerable. I have heard the stories about Jack and they are a load of rubbish."We have a great working relationship with Manchester United. The chairman (Bill Kenwright) has a great relationship with David Gill and I have with Sir Alex (Ferguson)."To say that a deal is already done for Jack is completely untrue and I don't know where those stories have come from."

Chicharito Expecting Tough Game

Javier Hernandez believes Manchester United can take full advantage of playing the second leg

of their Champions League quarter-final at Old Trafford - but concedes playing Chelsea will be a test.United were paired with their Premier League rivals in the quarter-finals draw on Friday,

with Chelsea having got the better of United recently at Stamford Bridge.Hernandez, who started on the bench in United's 2-1 defeat to Chelsea earlier this month, is focused on adding to his tally of three

Champions League goals when the sides resume their rivalry on April 6."We play in the same league and it is going to be tough," said Hernandez. "Stamford Bridge is a nice stadium and it makes it a little bit like a league game.But if there is an advantage that we are at home in the second game. I am trying to think game by game and not to look too far in the future. But I am very happy with the way things are going in the Champions League and I want to keep it like that."

Messi: United not Amongst Favourites

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has ruled out Manchester United as contenders to win this season's Champions League.Messi said he expected his Barcelona team, Spanish rivals Real Madrid or Carlo Ancelotti's Chelsea to lift the trophy in May. But Sir Alex Ferguson's Premier League leaders and 2007-08 European champions didn't get a mention."Ourselves, Madrid and Chelsea are the favourites for this year," the Barcelona forward is quoted as saying in The Sun.

"Here, everyone knows their role and we complement each other. All of us make each other better. It's the greatness of this team."Meanwhile, the Argentine star could miss Barcelona's next match, at home to Getafe on Saturday, and whether he makes the trip to the U.S. with the Argentine national team next week will depend on how well he recovers from a badly bruised knee.

"Messi suffered a bad knock on his right knee and his availability for Saturday's game will depend on his progress during the week," Barcelona said in a statement released on Monday by the club.

Hernandez Hails 'monster' Rooney

Javier Hernandez has heaped praise on Manchester United strike partner Wayne Rooney, describing him as a 'monster', and says his debut season at Old Trafford has been a dream.Hernandez has already scored 16 goals this season, many of them vital strikes, and has been in such good form that the Premier League's leading scorer, Dimitar Berbatov, has been relegated to the bench.Hernandez told The Sun:

"Playing with Wayne is a dream. He's a monster to be alongside and I never believed I would get so many games and goals during my first season at United."Mr Ferguson's comments are very important for me. He has given me such confidence, he raises my morale and my only hope is that nothing changes."Despite some trying to dub Hernandez as the 'little Carlos Tevez', he is more concerned with carving out a reputation as a lethal goalscorer in his own right.He said: "The little Tevez? I'm really proud that people are comparing me to him but I am Chicharito and am living my dreams at the moment."I am very happy because I know there is so much more to come.

My secret is to study opposition defenders and work out their weak points. I try to outwit them with my speed and anticipation in the area. So my goals are not down to luck."Perhaps the better physical preparation here in England is the key to my performances. This aspect of the game is better than in South America and I have profited."

Meanwhile, Sir Alex Ferguson is refusing to make any promises over the selection of Berbatov."It's very difficult," he said. "Players never understand when they're left out, it doesn't matter what you say to them. They all want to play."I was the same myself. I always wanted to play and every footballer is the same. The important thing is that Dimitar recognised by us and he will get games. He might even play on Saturday against Bolton, depending on how I go. He'll be involved on Saturday."

Rio's Season Over, But Not Career

Sir Alex Ferguson has dismissed suggestions Rio Ferdinand's career may be over as it emerged the Manchester United defender will likely finish the season on the treatment table.Ferdinand's ongoing absence is part of an alarming injury crisis for Treble-chasing United, with manager Ferguson admitting "it has all fallen apart in the last week".The England captain has been out with a calf injury since February 5 and Ferguson revealed he is no closer to returning to training and that it would be "lucky" if he featured again this campaign. But it is just the latest of a long series of setbacks for Ferdinand, raising questions as the whether the 32-year-old can continue at the top level.This is a third consecutive injury-blighted season for Ferdinand, whose fitness woes started with a back injury aggravated during the 2008 World Club Cup in Japan, which has triggered a list of muscular ailments that have sidelined him for lengthy periods. Given his age, it would be tempting to start writing Ferdinand off as a major force, though Ferguson feels such a stance would be premature."Rio has plenty of years ahead of him,''

Ferguson said. "He has had a few injuries over the last few years I am sure that are a concern for him. But he is still capable of coming back and playing at the top level. He only needs the example of Gary Neville. I am sure he sees that. He is desperate to get back and he will.''If he fails to fully recover, Ferdinand would not be the first 32-year-old to find his body was incapable of meeting the demands of English football, while the latest situation has put him on the brink of losing the England captaincy."I am not getting involved with that,'' said Ferguson. "Calf injuries can be troublesome. I remember Bryan Robson was out for four months with a calf injury. It is looking that way again with Rio.

We are not looking at it as a short-term situation for us. He has been out for a few weeks now anyway and has not started training yet. It looks to me as if we will be lucky to get him back for some point of the season.''England coach Fabio Capello has suggested that the hamstring and calf problems are all related to a back condition Ferdinand has admitted trying to hide from Ferguson until he was called to account for a particularly poor performance against Liverpool at Anfield last season.On that occasion, Ferdinand was ruled out for three months and has since not wasted an opportunity to state how fit he was, even though there were signs - standing up for the duration of a flight to Valencia in September - that a problem still existed.In ruling John O'Shea out for five weeks with the hamstring injury he sustained in Tuesday's Champions League win over Marseille, Rafael for two with a similar problem and skipperNemanja Vidic for at least another week with a calf injury, Ferguson has laid bare a defensive crisis with echoes of last season.

Then United managed to get through a Champions League trip to Wolfsburg but hit a brick wall at Fulham, when Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher played in defence alongside Ritchie de Laet, who is currently on loan at Portsmouth. The subsequent defeat proved costly as United finished a point behind Chelsea in the title race."We hope a similar thing doesn't happen,'' Ferguson said. "We hope it is just a bad spell. Apart from this period, we have been OK. It has all just fallen apart in the last week.''The chinks of light come in the form of a return to fitness of Northern Ireland international Jonny Evans, who replaced Ferdinand in that Wolves game but has not played since after picking up an ankle injury in training.Ferguson has admitted it would be a risk to push Evans into battle, although with Fabio,Chris Smalling, Wes Brown and Patrice Evra - recalled by France on Thursday for the first time since his involvement in the World Cup scandal - as his only fit defenders, he may have no other option.

At least Smalling has stood up to the exceptional demands being placed on a 21-year-old, who only three years ago was plying his trade in the non-league with Maidstone United."Chris has been fantastic,'' Ferguson gushed. "Every game he has played recently has been massive and he has been brilliant in them all. Confidence plays a part, as it would with any young player. But everyone has recognised his level of performance.''

Redknapp: Utd Winning by Default

Harry Redknapp says the poor form of Chelsea and Arsenal means they are "handing the title" to a Manchester United team he rates as one of the worst in recent times.United extended their lead at the top of the table to five points on Saturday as Arsenal had to battle back from 2-0 down to draw with West Brom, and although Chelsea have improved, they are still nine points behind Sir Alex Ferguson's side with a game in hand.The current leaders have not impressed with regularity this season, winning only four of 15 away games, and Tottenham boss Redknapp believes they could win their 19th league title virtually by default."Really we are handing the title to Manchester United this year," Redknapp said. "

This is as poor as Manchester United have played in years, but they keep stumbling along and nicking results when they should have got done."Chelsea have blown up, Arsenal too - it is there for somebody this year to win the championship."Though Tottenham's recent poor form means they have fallen to fifth place and are now struggling to ensure their qualification for the Champions League, Redknapp believes two high-profile signings could ensure the North Londoners are in title contention for next season."

I don't think the other big clubs have got anything that Spurs don't have," he said. "People might think I'm mad to be aiming to win the league but I think it is possible.But if I do win one it will be a bit of a miracle, won't it? I think if I did then I'd probably retire. But I do think it is possible. If we can go and get a couple of Luka Modrics, people like that. We've got to believe we can achieve anything here."

Ten-men Scrape to Victory

Dimitar Berbatov struck three minutes from time to give ten-man Manchester United a precious 1-0 Premier League win over Bolton.The hosts were already labouring badly when Jonny Evans was sent off for a reckless second-half challenge on Stuart Holden.But United made light of the handicap and after Matthew Taylor had failed to take a glorious chance for the visitors, Berbatov pounced, netting his 21st goal of the season after the normally reliable Jussi Jaaskelainen had failed to hold Nani's long-range effort.After missing each other on Tuesday, Rio Ferdinand and Fabio Capello were both present in the Old Trafford directors' box amid heightened speculation that John Terry is about to be reinstalled as England skipper.Someone who looked suspiciously like Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Douglas Costa was there too, an interesting development given United were so heavily linked with the Brazilian last year.The major figure though was Sir Alex Ferguson, who began a five-match touchline ban by communicating with the home dug-out by telephone.It was probably just as well Ferguson was in the sanctuary of the stands as his opinion of Andre Marriner's decision not to award United an early penalty when Javier Hernandez's shot bounced onto Gary Cahill's arm was probably not worth repeating.

Once that call went their way, Bolton enjoyed themselves.Fabrice Muamba revelled in the space afforded to him by a United midfield too light on physical contact and with Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander getting the better of Evans and Chris Smalling the hosts creaked badly.Edwin van der Sar got his positioning just right to ensure Martin Petrov's curling free-kick did not find the net, Daniel Sturridge failed to make the most of a half-chance and Elmander fired a thunderbolt straight at Patrice Evra.There was over half an hour on the clock when the hosts carved out a decent chance, Antonio Valencia, on his first start since September, rolled a pass to Wayne Rooney.The England man cut a cross back to Hernandez at the near-post but the Mexican could not keep his near-post effort on target.Rooney was off target with a couple of efforts too but United were so lacklustre it was no surprise both Fabio and, more importantly, Dimitar Berbatov were introduced at the break.The double change triggered a shift in momentum, with United gaining the initiative.However, Berbatov's relative lack of pace compared to Hernandez was a major factor in the Bulgarian getting caught offside as he tried to gain half a yard in his attempts to reach through balls from Smalling and Rooney.Petrov was not too far away with a speculative effort from an acute angle after he received the ball straight back from his own corner, proof that Bolton remained a huge danger.

The Red Devils were starting to force their opponents back though, even if the end product was more of an increase in pressure than anything tangible in the way of clear-cut opportunities.Bolton survived when Rooney used his strength to collect a short pass from Ryan Giggs and lay the ball off to Berbatov.The £30.75million striker managed to get his snap-shot away but it was marginally off target.Cahill then outsprinted Berbatov to reach Valencia's through ball before the entire complexion of the contest changed with Evans' dismissal.The Northern Ireland defender has never been regarded as a dirty player and on first glance, it appeared Evans had merely come out on top in a 50-50 duel for possession.Marriner was close enough to come up with a different theory, producing a red card that forced Michael Carrick to take up a defensive position and Rooney to operate in central midfield.

For Holden, the injury was serious enough to warrant immediate calls for a stretcher, just over 12 months after he broke a leg in a tackle with Nigel de Jong that nearly forced him to miss the World Cup.The loss of a player did not affect United's attitude as Wayne Rooney went close.But there were gaping holes at the other end and Taylor could only hold his head in his hands as he sent a free header from eight yards straight at Van der Sar.Bolton must have known such opportunities could not be squandered, even against a side with 10 men.And as Berbatov tapped home, following Jaaskelainen's blunder, the feeling of this being a key day in the title battle was inescapable.