Neymar sends mixed messages

Santos starlet Neymar is not ruling out a move to Europe but has now stressed that he is happy in Brazil. Chelsea saw a bid rejected for Neymar, 19, last summer, but they retain an interest in the forward and he revealed in a television interview this week that he would welcome a move to Stamford Bridge.

However, he has sent out mixed messages and, having previously talked up a move to Juventus, he has now said he wants to stay in Brazil for the time being. "The future belongs to God and nobody knows what tomorrow will bring, but I have a contract with Santos," he told a press conference in Brazil. "I'm happy and I want to stay. "Happiness is everything. If you're unhappy, you don't stay, and when God gives me the feeling in my heart that it's time to go there [to Europe], I will go.

Right now, my family and I are happy here. This is my country. "Neymar, who has also attracted the interest of both Manchester clubs, remained in London for a day after his brace secured a 2-0 victory for Brazil against Scotland in a friendly at Emirates Stadium on Sunday. "It was a wonderful day," he said. "Everyone met up and I spent the day with my family. I had a quiet walk around the city. I didn't want to stay there. I'm happy at Santos and in Brazil and hopefully I'll be staying for a long time."

Neymar had dinner in London with agent Pini Zahavi, who works closely with Chelsea and is a friend of Sir Alex Ferguson, but the player insisted it was simply because he works with his Brazilian agent, Wagner Ribeiro. "He [Zahavi] has worked with Wagner and [the dinner meeting] was not linked to Chelsea," Neymar said.

"We were in his town and we went to dinner with my family, but it wasn't anything to do with business matters." Barcelona have also had scouts looking at Neymar and the forward said he would think about a move to the Camp Nou if a bid came in. He said: "Everyone wants to play for Barcelona, and I do as well, but these things have to be carefully considered." Meanwhile, Neymar was at the centre of alleged racism when he was booed by Scotland fans during Sunday's friendly, while one supporter threw a banana onto the field.

However, a spokesman for the Tartan Army insisted the boos in his direction were based entirely on his perceived playacting, and a German tourist admitted throwing the banana but dismissed claims it was racially-motivated. "Only he knows whether it was malicious or not," Neymar said. "Everyone was sad, but I didn't care - I was happy because I'd scored two goals, and we were playing well. That incident doesn't take away from our great performance."

David De Gea Bio, Stat

David De Gea

Squad No : 13

Position: Goalkeeper

Age :20

Birth Date: 7 Nov 1990

Birth Place: Madrid

Height: 6' 4 " (1.93m)

Weight: 76 kg

De Gea only made his debut for the Atletico Madrid first-team in 2009 having enjoyed prominence in Spain's youth teams since the age of 16.

Winning the 2007 Under-17 European Championships, De Gea's international career began much earlier than his club one and he also finished second at the Under-17 World Cup in the same year.

He came through the ranks at Atletico and, after impressing for the reserve side, was given his chance to shine when Sergio Asenjo made some high profile errors in the 2009-10 season. Quickly establishing himself as the Rojiblancos No. 1, he helped the side win the Europa League and also starred in the UEFA Super Cup win over Inter Milan in 2010.

Linked with replacing Edwin van der Sar at Manchester United, De Gea reaffirmed his commitment to Atletico in January 2011 when he said: '' "It would be very difficult to leave Atletico." Preferring instead to focus on his dream of representing his country at the 2014 World Cup.

Strengths: His nerve is excellent and he keeps cool in pressure situations. Tall and commanding from high balls, he is also very fast.

Weaknesses: His distribution could be improved, while better communication with his defence could cut out some errors.

Career high: Having won the Europa League, De Gea then saved a penalty as Atletico beat Inter Milan 2-0 in the subsequent Super Cup.

Career low: Missing out on the 2010 World Cup, after he was named in Spain's the initial 30-man squad.

Style: Calm, confident, agile, a solid presence at the back.

Quotes: "He has all the attributes to go on and become a great goalkeeper. The calmness he displayed in such big games was tremendous; he has great nerve." Former Atletico boss Abel Resino.

Trivia: His team-mates at Atletico have already nicknamed him Van der Gea, because of his physical likeness to the Dutchman, and his similar style.

De Gea's Agent Confirms United Talks

Manchester United have held talks over the signing of Atletico Madrid goalkeeper David de Gea, according to the player's agent.United's current No. 1, Edwin van der Sar, will retire at the end of the season and De Gea is one of the star names pencilled in to replace the out-going Dutchman. De Gea, 20, has established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper at Atletico ahead of Sergio Asenjo since breaking into the first team in 2009 and has been watched by United goalkeeping coach Eric Steele on numerous occasions.

Sir Alex Ferguson also saw De Gea in action when Atletico played Valencia in September last year. With reports circulating that United have made a £17.5 million offer for the Spain U-21 international, his agent, Hector Rincon, revealed that the Premier League leaders have been in contact and that their offer would meet De Gea's release clause." Well, we did have talks with Manchester United but, first of all, they always look for an agreement with the club," Hector Rincon told sport.co.uk. "Anyway, most of the biggest European teams have shown interest in David de Gea." Asked if Atletico would be willing to part with their highly-rated goalkeeper, Rincon said: "You would have to ask the club.

What I can tell you is that his release clause now is €20 million, but I have no idea if the club would sell him for less. "Right now, the player has a contract with Atletico Madrid and if Manchester United or any other team want him they will have to reach an agreement or pay the whole release clause." Atletico president Enrique Cerezo, in response to the reports of United's interest, suggested that they may not follow through with a firm bid. He said: "I am looking at a house in the Canary Islands, but that doesn't mean I am going."

Rincon also reiterated - as he told ESPNsoccernet last year - that Wigan Athletic once made an offer for De Gea and that recently all the top clubs in England have shown an interest. "Well, some time ago, before he became an important player in Atletico, Wigan made an offer, but the club rejected it," the agent said. "Recently, I don't want to say any names but all the big clubs in England and in Europe have asked about him."

Neymar Destined for Premier League

ESPNsoccernet has learned that Brazil's new star Neymar is almost certain to be playing in the Premier League next season. Neymar caught the attention of a wider audience when scoring twice in Brazil's friendly win over Scotland on Sunday at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, and it is expected that he will be gracing English stadiums on a more regular basis. The 19-year-old Santos forward is jointly represented by Brazilian agent Wagner Ribeiro and the influential Pini Zahavi, who is a close associate of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Manchester United believe Neymar could be a potential long-term replacement for Ryan Giggs, but it was Chelsea and Manchester City who were represented at Sunday's game with Carlo Ancelotti and Roberto Mancini both in the directors' box to watch Brazil's 2-0 victory. The three English clubs are among a limited group of elite teams who could afford to sign Neymar from Santos, given his buyout clause currently stands at €45 million (£39.6 million).

Chelsea attempted to sign him last summer, only to be rejected by the player as he chose to remain in Brazil. Neymar has previously expressed his admiration for Italian football in particular but could be warming to England having been given permission by Brazil coach Mano Menezes to remain overnight in London on Sunday while the rest of the squad travelled home. The player and his entourage were treated to a night out by Ribeiro and Zahavi, who has been given the authorisation to conduct Neymar's international affairs.

After his performance at Arsenal's home ground, Neymar said: "...the stadium is great; the pitch is too. The [English] weather I don't like all that much, but I could get used to it." Meanwhile, Zahavi told ESPNsoccernet: "Yes, we were all very happy with his performance at the Emirates."

More Injury Misery For Hargreaves

Owen Hargreaves has suffered yet another setback in his bid to regain his fitness after sustaining a shoulder injury in training. Hargreaves has played less than ten minutes' football for Manchester United since September 2008 having had surgery on his knee problems on two occasions before tearing his hamstring on his brief comeback against Wolves in November.

He had made his return to training with the reserves earlier this month and there had been hope that he could feature again this season after he was named in the 25-man Premier League squad at the end of the January transfer window. However, the 30-year-old has sustained yet another injury and the Daily Mail reports X-rays show he may have ligament damage that could rule him out for another month.

Hargreaves - a £17 million signing from Bayern Munich in May 2007 - is out of contract in June.

Ferguson: United Loanees Will Return

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that Manchester United's on loan youngsters will return to the club's first team squad next season. Danny Welbeck, Tom Cleverley and Federico Macheda are plying their trade at Sunderland, Wigan and Sampdoria respectively, but Ferguson has no intention of letting any of them remain on loan.Infact, Ferguson insists that all three have a prominent role to play in Manchester United's future.

"They will come back into the first-team squad and they will get plenty of games next season," he told United's official website. "They are part of the band of young players coming through at this club. They will all come back in."At that point, we will then review our squad because that's the important thing. But we will always put players out on loan."Cleverley has done very well, particularly in his spell at Watford and then at Wigan. He has improved in each case and he is going to be a top player."Welbeck has been fantastic too, it's just unfortunate that he picked up a bad injury. But they will all be ready for next year."

Ferguson also revealed that Senegalese striker Mame Biram Diouf will return from his stint with Blackburn. "Mame Diouf has done well at Blackburn too and he'll come back in - they've all done well. It proves we were right in putting them there in the first place." For them, it's that experience of being exposed to regular football that really brings them on so that they are ready to play for us."

Nani: Fergie Limits My Freedom

Manchester United winger Nani has revealed he is playing within his abilities because manager Sir Alex Ferguson restricts his "freedom" on the pitch. Portuguese trickster Nani has been, perhaps unfairly, living in the shadow of former United star Cristiano Ronaldo during his time at Old Trafford, but this season he has gone some way to filling his countryman's boots by translating his undoubted ability into goals and assists.

But Nani said he has sacrificed some of his personal joy for the game and put a limit on the amount of tricks he executes on the pitch in the pursuit of increased effectiveness. "I try to enjoy playing now, but it is not always possible because I have a responsibility to the team," Nani told Spain's Don Balón. "But something of the street remains in me. It is not easy to show at United because Sir Alex does not allow very much freedom and I cannot do the tricks and things I did with my friends."

Nani presumably refers to the sort of expressive wing play that could humiliate opponents but risks giving the ball away. He hinted that Ferguson is more relaxed about his star winger trying the spectacular against weaker opposition when United have the lion's share of possession. "When the game is under control I take a risk and it makes me very happy if things work out."

Pearce Releases Five Players

England Under-21 manager Stuart Pearce has allowed five players to return to their Premier League clubs. Sunderland duo Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck, Manchester United's Chris Smalling and Bolton pair Fabrice Muamba and Daniel Sturridge, who all played in the 4-0 defeat of Denmark in Viborg on Tuesday, will miss the friendly against Iceland at Deepdale on Monday night. Manchester City's Micah Richards will also be missing following the hamstring injury he picked up in the Denmark game.

The FA also announced on Saturday that Pearce's team will face Norway in Southampton on June 5 for their final friendly ahead of the European Under-21 Championship in Denmark this summer.Meanwhile, Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley, currently on loan at Wigan, believes England Under-21 can come out on top in the tournament. "From day one of our qualification process we've known what we have wanted to do and that is win the competition this summer," Cleverley said at a Tesco Soccer Skills event held by the Lancashire FA. "We know the manager has the experience to win a competition at this level.

"UEFA's current under-21 rankings put England top of the pile, and Cleverley puts that down to the depth of talent available for Pearce and the coaching staff to choose from.

"There is always pressure when you're playing for your country but there is added pressure because the level of talent in the squad," he said. "We don't have just a talented ten players - we have a talented 30 players. It is tough for the manager but there is good competition amongst the squad. "England face a tough opening game, against Spain on June 12, but 21-year-old Cleverley knows that winning the big games is a must in such a tournament. "We will be going out there with the mentality that if you want to win things you have to beat teams like Spain," he added.

Twente to Help United on Brazilians

Dutch champions FC Twente are to act as a feeder club for Manchester United as the Premier League leaders look to snare some of the most promising South American talent. At present it is difficult for English clubs to sign such players due to work permit regulations, with other European countries having far more relaxed rules on non-EU players. United have previously used their relationship with Royal Antwerp to such an end, sending Dong Fangzhuo to the Belgian club until he had played enough international games for China to qualify for a permit. Dong never made the grade at United and left Old Trafford for Dalian Shide in 2008.

Five Brazilians are being targeted by United as part of their link-up with Sao Paulo academy Desportivo Brasil. The players set to join up with Eredivisie side Twente, who now have a similar agreement in place to Antwerp, until the players have been in the EU long enough to qualify for a passport. That will enable the players to work freely in the United Kingdom and move to United. Gladstony, Aguilar, Lucas Evangelista, Agnaldo and Rafael Leao were flown over to England last week and watched United beat Bolton Wanderers 1-0 at Old Trafford. United's signing of Brazilian twins Rafael and Fabio from Fluminense was slightly different as they were granted special talent visas by FIFA to allow them to play UK after they turned 18.

The president of international business for South American football company Traffic, which owns Desportivo, told the Daily Mail: "Twente are a partner, helping United to resolve the problem of their EU passports. "For two reasons it's good that a player goes first to Holland. First, after two or three years he's considered to be European. And, of course, it's easier to play in the Dutch league than the Premier League." Manchester United look for young players in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. If they find a good one they come to us. We'll get a player, register him with Desportivo Brasil, and we have a contract with United that they have an option to buy this player at 18 for a fixed amount.

"If the guy turns out to be an Alexandre Pato, United can still have him for a huge discount because of course we'll honour the contract. If they don't like the player, we keep him."

Van der Sar Rules out Return to Ajax

Edwin van der Sar has ruled out a return to Ajax after he retires, revealing he plans to stay at Manchester United in a non-playing role. Van der Sar, 40, will quit at the end of the season, but told Dutch magazine Life After Football he will not be making good on a 12-year-old pledge to return to the club he won the Champions League with in 1995, just yet.''

I'm not going back to Amsterdam, though it would be very comfortable there with Frank de Boer, Danny Blind and Dennis Bergkamp,'' he said. ''When I left 12 years ago, I said I would return, but I did not know then what great years I would have with Manchester United. I might occasionally visit training with them, but I will not be going regularly. ''Instead, Van der Sar is mapping out a role with United.'' It may be that I'm going to give Manchester United clinics in Asia, where the club is very popular, or something in commerce,'' he added. ''I think this is interesting. I have already held some talks.''

Neuer keen to stay in Germany

Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has ruled out a move abroad, but he has yet to fully commit his future to the Gelsenkirchen-based club amid rumoured interest from Bayern Munich. Neuer, the German No. 1, still has over a year left to run on his contract with the Royal Blues, who are keen to tie him down to a new deal to warn off the likes of Bayern. However, Neuer is not yet fully convinced about his future in Gelsenkirchen given Schalke's failure to compete in the Bundesliga this season. But he is adamant he wants to stay in Germany - even with reported interest from the likes of Manchester United.

''I definitely want to win the Bundesliga once in my career,'' he said. ''I can go abroad twice a year, once for a summer holiday and once for a winter holiday, but whether I need to go abroad to play football - some players say you do, but I see things differently. ''Neuer has the chance of winning some silverware this year with Schalke already in the final of the DFB-Pokal and into the last eight of the Champions League. Bayern, on the other hand, are almost certainly going to end the season empty-handed and the potential for success is one of the criteria Neuer will be considering when the time comes to make up his mind about his future.

''The priorities are always success and how happy you are, and you have got to think of yourself,'' he added in kicker magazine. ''I have won the League Cup twice and I hope to add the DFB-Pokal in May. ''When Bayern hosted Schalke at the Allianz Arena a few weeks ago, many of the home fans held up banners making it clear that Neuer would not be welcome at their club. That has not put the 24-year-old off, though. ''I got a lot of correspondence afterwards, also from Bayern fans, who apologised for what happened,'' he said. ''It was a strange situation and it would have been better had such a thing not happened.

''(The Bayern management) acted professionally and made it clear to me that it was just a minority protesting against me. It was uncomfortable for the Bayern management too.''

Bayer Admit United Could Tempt Adler

Bayer Leverkusen still hope to tie goalkeeper Rene Adler down to a new contract, but have accepted that convincing him to stay may be tricky if Manchester United make a bid this summer.Adler, 26, has been at Leverkusen all his career and has established himself as one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the Bundesliga over the past few years.

And with United scouring Europe for a replacement for retiring Edwin van der Sar, Adler's name has been among those linked with a move to Old Trafford, with the likes of Manuel Neuer, David De Gea and Maarten Stekelenburg also reportedly on their radar.

United's goalkeeping coach Eric Steele was sent on a scouting mission to Germany last weekend, where he saw Adler keep a clean sheet in Leverkusen's 2-0 victory over Neuer's Schalke.Leverkusen remain hopeful of retaining Adler's services and discussions about a contract extension are well under way, with general manager Rudi Voller staying calm over speculation linking Adler with a move away from the club."

It's a usual circumstance in football to have players being watched by other clubs," Voller said. "We have the desire to sign a new deal with Rene Adler, this is a fact."But Leverkusen executive Wolfgang Holzhauser says he is concerned that negotiations would be difficult should United swoop for the Germany international."

There have been talks between the club and Rene Adler already, however we are still far off an agreement at this point in time," Holzhauser told Bild."

If a club the size of Manchester United comes up, I feel signing a new deal with Rene Adler would not become easier."

FA Explains Fergie Punishment

The Football Association has accused Sir Alex Ferguson of undermining the Respect campaign when explaining its decision to hand the Manchester United manager a five-game ban.Ferguson was given the punishment by an independent regulatory commission, and fined £30,000, following his comments about referee Martin Atkinson in the wake of a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Chelsea at the start of March.

In a post-match interview with MUTV, Ferguson said: "You want a fair referee, or a strong referee anyway - and we didn't get that. I must say, when I saw who the referee was I feared it. I feared the worst."The commission has now publicised its reasons for hitting Ferguson with the ban, and explained that his refusal to apologise for his comments contributed to the punishment.

It stated: "The commission was referred to Sir Alex's previous disciplinary record, which included several misconduct charges. Although it was his entitlement to do so, he denied the present charge in the face of a strong, if not compelling, case against him."Although he denied any intention to question Mr Atkinson's integrity, he should, at the very least, have realised the import of what he said. It follows that any credit to which Sir Alex may have been entitled by admitting the charge, and reduction in sanction, was lost."

In addition, it follows from his denial of the charge that no clarification or retraction of any of his comments has been made by Sir Alex and no apology given to Mr Atkinson, even after the charge had been brought."The commission regarded this as a serious aggravating feature and rejected Sir Alex's case that his use of the word 'fair' was effectively retracted during the interview itself. The commission also took the view that Sir Alex's comments undermined the attempts by the association, through its Respect campaign to encourage higher standards of behaviour within the game, including respect for officials."

Man Utd Parent Firm post Losses

The parent company that owns Manchester United has announced a loss of £108.9 million for last year.Red Football Joint Venture - owned by the Glazer family - revealed the figure for the year ending June 30, 2010 in their accounts, which also include a number of one-off payments, according to files submitted to Companies House. One of those was the cost of setting up a £526 million bond scheme to provide the American owners with cash in the short-term to service a number of outstanding debts.

While the previous year's results revealed a profit of £21 million, payment in kind (PIK) loans that have since been paid off were also a contributing cause for the downturn in fortunes. A lack of notable player sales has also been blamed - in 2010 the club could include the £80 million departure of Cristiano Ronaldo as part of their trading.United's own club accounts were published in October and revealed losses of £83.6 million. At the time chief executive David Gill remained upbeat about financial matters at Old Trafford.

"We have money in the bank so there is zero pressure on that, no pressure at all to sell any star player," Gill said at the time. "We have £165 million in the bank but in some ways we would prefer to have £80 million in the bank and Ronaldo on the pitch."Sir Alex Ferguson could be set to rebuild his side in the summer, with Manuel Neuer, David de Gea, Javier Pastore and Jack Rodwell all linked with the club in recent weeks. And, even in light of the financial news, Ferguson has been assured he will have money to spend.

A source told ESPNsoccernet: "There have been suggestions that the club are financially handicapped in some way with the latest accounts of the club's parent company showing more than a £100 million loss for the year, but they are exceptional circumstances."There is £165 million cash in the bank, and even as we stand the club would pass UEFA's fair financial play rules. No one is saying Sir Alex is going to spend all the cash in the bank, but he is going to replace a number of star players, and that is not going to come cheap. If he wishes to spend £100 million the funds are in place for him to do so.

As for the club's finances, Manchester United are on course to break the £100 million commercial profits barrier for the year. The club is best judged financially from the last quarterly accounts of the club, which showed the debt in the region of £500 million, interest repayments of £45 million but £100 million profits in a year."