Manchester news headlines

Wayne Rooney plans to make amends for the worst season of his life by firing Manchester United to a crucial victory against fading champions Chelsea on Tuesday. By his own admission Rooney has been well below his best as he struggles to cope with a distracting combination of issues in his private life, recurring injuries and the fall-out from a contract row that nearly brought a premature end to his time at Old Trafford. In recent weeks, Rooney has finally shown glimpses of the form that made him Europe's most feared striker for much of last season, but even then he hasn't been able to avoid negative headlines. Although Rooney was on the scoresheet in Saturday's 4-0 win at Wigan, his contribution was overshadowed by his elbow on James McCarthy which led Latics boss Roberto Martinez to claim the England star should have been sent off. However, Rooney is determined not to let that controversy affect his performances as United head into a season-defining week which features … [Read more...] about Rooney plans to banish the Blues

Rafael Benitez and Chelsea will both be hoping the FA Cup will be kind to them when they resume their own love affairs with the competition at Southampton next month. Benitez has endured a miserable first 11 days in the job since replacing Roberto Di Matteo last month, with a number of fans voicing their opposition to his appointment and only two points taken from the first nine on offer as the Blues slumped to a 3-1 loss at West Ham on Saturday. … [Read more...] about Chelsea begin FA cup defence at Saints

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini gets so frustrated by controversial striker Mario Balotelli that he admits if the pair had been team-mates he would have ended up hitting him. The Italian, speaking before Balotelli's latest escapade - a minor car accident on Thursday - told reporters that he did not speak to his young compatriot every day because if he did he would need to see a psychologist. Mancini, preparing his team for their must-win Premier League match at Arsenal on Sunday, said he could see why Balotelli's team mates were infuriated by him. "I can understand it. I told him 'if you played with me, 10 years ago, I'd punch you in the head every day'," Mancini said. "I understand his team mates but there are different ways to help guys like Mario. In every big game, he has played very well. His problem is his concentration but I work with him every day. "I speak with him - not every day because I'd need a psychologist - but every two days I speak with him. He doesn't … [Read more...] about Balotelli antics make me want to punch him, says Mancini