Diouf delighted to get off the mark

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The Carling Cup semi-final between Manchester City and Manchester United has been postponed, with the Blackburn v Aston Villa tie also off.

Although the first-leg tie at Eastlands was not due to be played until Wednesday evening, there was no prospect of the game taking place due to the weather conditions in Manchester overnight and officials have called the game off.

The tie will now take place on January 19, which was originally the date for the second leg. That match will now take place on Wednesday, January 27.

Tuesday night's other semi-final clash between Rovers and Villa haalso fallen victim to the weather.

The decision means the Premier League games between United and Hull and City and Stoke, due to be played at Old Trafford and the Britannia Stadium on Tuesday, January 26 and Wednesday, January 27 have now also been postponed.

In an ideal world, the clubs would have preferred the game to go ahead as planned on Wednesday. But they accepted there was no hope of that happening once Manchester had been hit by such a hefty snowfall.

City and United, who train close to each other at Carrington, were forced to cancel their sessions on Tuesday and tell their players not to report for duty.

Indeed, advice for the general public has been to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary, with City closing their Eastlands ticket office due to the atrocious conditions.

As with Blackburn, the problem at Eastlands is not anything to do with the pitch. The surrounding roads are in a terrible mess and local motorways are also at a standstill in certain areas.

Under normal circumstances, the games would have been rearranged for next week on the same days.

However, with City's Premier League encounter with Blackburn due to be broadcast on ESPN on Monday evening, that was ruled out.

Stoke are also monitoring conditions ahead of their Premier League fixture against Fulham on Tuesday night but have so far said they are "confident'' the game at the Britannia Stadium will go ahead.

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Sir Alex Ferguson is getting ready to hand Senegal striker Mame Biram Diouf his Manchester United debut.

Diouf was signed from Norwegian club Molde in the summer but has only just been able to link up with the Old Trafford outfit as he was allowed to remain with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's old club on loan until the end of their domestic campaign.

The 22-year-old has impressed in training though and, after having a work permit granted for Diouf, United have also now received international clearance.

While Ferguson will not necessarily include Diouf in his squad for Saturday's trip to Birmingham, the fact he has already allocated his newest recruit the number 32 shirt formerly worn by Carlos Tevez means it is at least a possibility.

"He has adapted very well to our training regime and has looked very impressive," Ferguson told Inside United.

"He is quick, very good in the air and a good striker of the ball.

"Overall, he is a really good centre-forward and he will play a part this season."

As United are welcoming a youngster, speculation is mounting that they are about to say goodbye to one of their old guard.

Gary Neville made his 583rd Red Devils appearance in Sunday's dismal FA Cup defeat to Leeds.

However, whether he follows long-time team-mates Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes into the exclusive 600 club remains open to extreme doubt.

Neville will celebrate his 35th birthday next month, having spent the last three years battling to overcome injury.

In stating his intention to hand Giggs - who has already signed - and Scholes new contracts earlier in the season, Ferguson failed to mention his captain, who was overlooked by Fabio Capello when he was trying to find a right-back to act as cover for the most recent friendly in Brazil.

It is not entirely beyond the realms of possibility Neville could remain at Old Trafford, where his experience offers such a fine example to younger players, or that he might take up some kind of coaching role for the club he supported as a boy and rarely wastes an opportunity to show his affection for.

However, on performances alone, it would be difficult to justify giving Neville another season, although a final decision will not be made until later in the campaign, by which time details should have been released about a testimonial for a player who made his debut against Torpedo Moscow in 1992.

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The last time United signed a relatively unknown centre-forward from Norwegian side Molde FK, it turned out to be an extremely shrewd piece of business. Is it possible Sir Alex has struck gold yet again in Mame Biram Diouf?

Like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Senegalese striker’s arrival at Old Trafford was decidedly low-key. And on Saturday against Burnley, Diouf continued to mirror Ole’s early OT career by netting on his home debut.

Diouf, sent on for Wayne Rooney on 73 minutes, put the icing on the cake of United’s 3-0 win, stealing in during injury time to head over the onrushing Brian Jensen at the Stretford End.

“It feels good to score in my first game here,” he told MUTV. “I was nervous for the first two or three minutes but then you forget about all the people in the stands and you do your job.”

Diouf’s debut came last weekend at St. Andrew’s, where he was handed a late cameo in the Reds’ 1-1 draw. And he insists he’ll give his all whenever Sir Alex selects him next.

“I’m just going to work hard and do my best and we’ll see when the manager needs me. I’ll be ready, though.

“I want to give my best for my new team and be ready when they need

me. I’ll work hard in training, never give up and be ready for the next chance that comes along.”

The 22-year-old, who scored 23 times in 52 games for Molde in Norway, says he’s keen to work closely with United’s other forwards.

“I’m sure I can learn [by playing alongside Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen and Dimitar Berbatov],” he said.

“They are top players, some of the best in the world. They’ve done so much in football and in this league so I’m going to try and learn a lot.”

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Mame Biram Diouf admits to being "very nervous" on his Manchester United home debut, but is thrilled to have got off the mark for his new side.

The 22-year-old made his home debut against Burnley, having made his United bow at Birmingham last week, and managed to grab his first goal in a 3-0 win.

The Senegal striker signed in the summer but only arrived in December and already finds himself in contention for a first start against Manchester City in the Carling Cup semi-final first-leg at Eastlands on Tuesday.

With fellow striker Dimitar Berbatov again feeling pain in his knee against the Clarets it appears likely that the Bulgarian will step down against Roberto Mancini's men with either Diouf or Michael Owen coming in.

"It felt good," he told the Manchester Evening News after grabbing his first goal.

"I played and scored and the team won, which is the most important thing. I am happy for the team and myself.

"For the first two or three minutes I was very nervous. But after that you are only thinking about football. When you are on the pitch you forget about all the people and just do your job.

"I don't know whether I will play more games. I am not the one who is deciding. I have to be ready for my next chance.

"I have settled in well. Everyone has been so nice to me. I have not had any problems. It has been fantastic. I can learn from Owen, Berbatov and Rooney."

Meanwhile Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson was also happy his new charge's contribution: "It was very good for Diouf.

"He has great spring. He is quick and has got a lot of good attributes."