United ready to snap up Cole
Manchester United are ready to make a
summer move for England midfielder Joe Cole if he cannot resolve
his contract dispute at Chelsea. Talks on a new deal for Cole have
dragged on for weeks and are no nearer being concluded. Cole, 28,
will be out of contract in the summer and clubs are now beginning
to be alerted that his future is becoming increasingly uncertain.
Sir Alex Ferguson has been an admirer of Cole for some time and the
prospect of picking up such an experienced and talented player on
the cheap would be an attractive one. United boss Ferguson is
looking for reinforcements on the left for Ryan Giggs and Cole, who
could be available as a free agent, would be a bargain.
Tony Banks, Daily Express
Elsewhere, there's high praise for Wayne Rooney, whose
two goals in the San Siro on Tuesday helped United to a historic
3-2 victory over AC Milan. The Independent called it "the
night Rooney proved he can match Europe's greatest". Former AC
Milan and Dutch legend Ruud Gullit argues in The Daily
Mail: "If he is to make that final step to the very top, he
needs to produce a match-winning performance in a massive game,
like Lionel Messi did in last year's Champions League final or
Ronaldo the year before. That would make him the very best."
One player who missed the trip to Italy this week was Nemanja
Vidic. The Serbian is suffering from a calf injury, although some
media outlets are claiming he's simply refusing to play and angling
for a summer transfer. The Daily Telegraph runs
quotes from Serbia national team manager Raddy Antic. He says:
"It's only a matter of time before he will be in top shape. He told
me that he wants to help the club, but that he does not want to
make his injury worse."
