Welcome David Moyes

Today is the beginning of a new era for Manchester United, with David Moyes' reign as the Reds' manager now officially underway.
He arrived at the newly-named Aon Training Complex – formerly the Trafford Training Centre (and often previously referred to as Carrington) – bright and early on Monday 1 July, ready to begin work as United aim to retain the Barclays Premier League title in 2013/14.
Moyes, who was appointed on 9 May, takes up his new challenge after more than 11 years in charge at Everton. There, he won the League Managers' Association's Manager of the Year award – voted for by his fellow football bosses – on three occasions: in 2003, 2005 and 2009. Only Sir Alex Ferguson (four awards) collected the honour as many times.
You can read a detailed profile of the new Manchester United manager on our Players & Staff page. Working alongside Moyes will be Steve Round (assistant manager), Jimmy Lumsden(coach) and Chris Woods (goalkeeper coach).
A number of changes behind the scenes also take effect today. Executive vice chairman Ed Woodward takes on the duties previously undertaken by former chief executive David Gill, while Richard Arnold begins his tenure as group managing director. Chief operating officer Michael Bolingbroke has been appointed to the main board and takes on further responsibilities, including chairman of MU Foundation.

Match report: West Ham 2 vs Manchester United 2

Manchester United settled for a point after a 2-2 draw with West Ham.
Ricardo Vaz Te's opener was cancelled out by Antonio Valencia's first goal of the season but Mohamed Diame's fine strike put the capital club in front again. Shinji Kagawa, who also set up Valencia's effort, hit the woodwork in the 77th minute and Robin van Persie converted the rebound to salvage a point.

Sir Alex Ferguson made only one change to the starting XI on duty at Stoke on Sunday with Rafael replacing Javier Hernandez, prompting Phil Jones and Wayne Rooney to move further forward, albeit as part of a fluid formation.
The Hammers made a furious start and pressed in the opening stages but there was only one moment of danger. Carroll was afforded far too much time on the edge of the box and an offside flag was raised against Kevin Nolan inthe middle as the on-loan Liverpool striker's shot rolled wide.
United were still struggling to gain a momentum in the game when Carroll headed over the top from a corner after a quarter of an hour and it was no great surprise when the hosts opened the scoring soon afterwards. Kagawa's misplaced pass was pounced upon by Diame and he invited Matt Jarvis to take on Rio Ferdinand. The winger beat the ex-Hammer comfortably and crossed to Carroll, who headed down for Vaz Te to dive and nod past Rafael and Nemanja Vidic on the line.
There was no initial response from the Reds with Rooney's wayward shot the only effort registered in the opening half an hour but an equaliser arrived following a fine move down the left flank. Van Persie threaded a pass through James Collins' legs to work the ball back to Kagawa and the Japan international danced his way into the area to tee up Valencia for a simple tap-in, with the winger becoming the 19th different league scorer for the leaders this term.
Diame got the better of Michael Carrick to lash a drive in tothe side-netting and Vaz Te thumped well wide as Sam Allardyce's side produced a positive reaction while Nolan tumbled under the merest touch from Nemanja Vidic in a desperate bid to win a penalty that left referee Lee Probert unimpressed.
Probert then failed to punish Carroll's ludicrous challenge on David De Gea from a corner with the yellow card it clearly warranted but, thankfully, the keeper was back on his feet after receiving treatment. The Londoners must have been disappointed to end the half on level terms as the move that led to Valencia's goal was the only one United created that carried any clear cut chances.

The start of the second half saw an immediate improvement with van Persie heading Rooney's precise cross frustratingly behind Jones, who was unable to make a proper connection when a goal would have been certain. Yet it did not provoke a spell of sustained pressure as Vidic was forced into a tremendous headed clearance at the other end to prevent Nolan from reaching a Jarvis cross.
Indeed, West Ham continued to push forward and Carroll, unconcerned by collecting a belated booking for a flare-up with De Gea, smashed a long-range effort close to the Spaniard's goal. When Diame turned Rooney easily on the edge of the box, the midfielder curled a delightful finish through a crowd of players and into the net to regain the lead for the hosts.
Jussi Jaaskelainen was called into action for the first time with the hour-mark approaching when he made a miraculous stop with his boot to deny van Persie but the Dutchman was offside in any case. Jaaskelainen was then fortunate when a well-placed van Persie corner saw Rooney's scuffed shot skip past the Finn, only for Gary O'Neil to hack away off the line.
At least Sir Alex's side were starting to maintain a decent tempo and rediscovering glimpses of the form that has taken them clear at the top of the table. Only a wonderful one-handed save by Jaaskelainen kept out van Persie's header from a Valencia centre as the Reds clicked through the gears, replacing Rooney with Ryan Giggs.

Kagawa moved into a central position with Giggs stationed on the left and the former Borussia Dortmund schemer was heavily involved in the second equaliser. Collecting a Carrick pass, he blasted in a splendid shot that hit both posts and van Persie was on hand to emphatically lift the rebound into the roof of the net. TV replays showed United's top scorer was offside at the moment the initial shot was unleashed.
Javier Hernandez was introduced, surprisingly at the expense of the influential Kagawa, and forced another good stop out of Jaaskelainen from Carrick's astute pass. With time running out, van Persie slashed a wild attempt off target and Carrick survived a shout from the crowd for handball, even though the ball hit his chest.
There were chances for late drama in stoppage time as Hernandez was unable to convert a lovely cross by Giggs due to Carroll's brilliant tackle, capping an impressive display by the centre-forward, and substitute Matty Taylor spurned an opening for the Hammers by firing over the bar.
The lead may have been reduced but, ahead of ManchesterCity's trip to Tottenham on Sunday, United remain very much in pole position to land a record 20th title.

Sam Allardyce: Manchester United are extremely good

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce lauded the
"scary" Manchester United team whom his side are set to face in Wednesday's Premier League clash.
Sir Alex Ferguson's men are 15 points clear of nearest rivals Manchester City and would break the division's record points tally if they are victorious in all of their remaining games, leading the Hammers boss to hail the Red Devils squad as possibly their best ever.

"I think you have to say the United team is as good as it has ever been because nobody normally wins the title so easily and by so big a margin, or has this much of a margin at this stage of the season," Allardyce told reporters.
"It is pretty scary what total they might actually finish with. They have been outstanding and their squad rotation has been Sir Alex's masterpiece, as usual - about playing the right team at the right time."
The West Ham boss feels that United's early exits from other competitions were a big factor in helping them surge to what is set to be their 20th English crown.
"They have not had the normal focus on three or four competitions almost to the end - the focus has come on the Premier League, and they have just breezed it - everyone else can't get near them," he observed.
"We will need to be on our best form, as always, if we are to get anything but we have run them close three times this season.
"I would say we are still another couple of points off being absolutely safe. Hopefully we can win a couple of matches and see where we go."

Robin van Persie and Rooney targets Points total

Manchester United strikers Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie are determined to win the Barclays Premier League in style.
Following the Reds' hard fought 2-0 win at Stoke City on Sunday, Sir Alex Ferguson's men require just seven points from the remaining six league fixtures to secure a 20th league title. But Rooney and van Persie believe it's important United cruise to victory rather than limp over the line.
"That's the aim," Rooney told Sky Sports . "The manager [told us before the game at Stoke] that the season started today and we've now got six to go – we have to go for all of them.
"I think if we win them all, we get a record in our pockets, so it's a good target, a nice target for all of us to achieve."
Van Persie, who netted from the penalty spot to end a 10-match goal drought, was in similarly bullish mood.
"We don't just want to try and win the league by getting the
points we need, we want to get maximum points now from the games remaining.
"It's important that you keep a run of wins going and that's what we want to do."

Evra: We have been teasing Robin van Persie

Patrice Evra says all the players were delighted to see Robin van Persie get back to scoring ways at Stoke, but revealed he has had plenty of stick for his goal celebration.
The Dutchman ended a drought of 10 games without scoring for Manchester United in Sunday's 2-0 win at the Britannia when he won and converted a second-half penalty.
He immediately ran towards the United bench after seeing the ball hit the back of the net and jumped into the arms of an equally jubilant Sir Alex Ferguson.
"It has been difficult for Robin. He has had a lot of stick from us. For two or three days we have been getting at him!" Evra joked, when asked by PA Sport and Talksport about the goal celebration.
"To be fair, Robin told us he was really emotional. He had not scored for 10 games. He just showed the passion and the way he wanted to win. He said to us: 'Hands up guys,it was an emotional game. I did it, it is okay, we can move on now.'
"It was nice. I can see a lot of love and emotion. It is the first time we saw that [from Robin]. It is good to see love like that on the pitch sometimes. I always say the
atmosphere at this club is great. That is a big strength for Manchester United."
Sunday's victory means the Reds are within seven points of reclaiming the championship crown and Evra says that, in Sir Alex, the players have the perfect person to guide themto glory.
"The boss is a winner," Evra said. "He has just told us to win the six games that are left. He said before the Stoke game that the season starts now. That shows you the way he wants to win this 20th title.
"He told us not to think about the title, just think about winning these six games. We can still break the record [points total]. That is what he wants.
"The challenge for us is to win the remaining six games we have left. It won't be easy but that is the way the boss wants us to play."

Sir Alex: No new injuries

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that his team came away from Stoke unscathed and revealed that the same squad will travel to Upton park on Wednesday.

Goals from Michael Carrick and Robin van Persie secured a vital 2-0 win for United on Sunday to extend the gap at the top of the
table to 15 points.
Sir Alex's men need seven more to secure a 20th league title and have the opportunity to pick up another three at Upton Park on Wednesday night.
"We have no injuries from Sunday against Stoke. It was a tough game, certainly. But there were no injuries and that is a blessing of course," the boss told MUTV .
"We have a good, strong squad. We took 20 players with us to Stoke and those 20 players will go with us again on Wednesday night."

Preview: West Ham United vs Manchester United

Form guide: After the derby disappointment, Manchester United returned to winning ways in what might be considered a similar fixture to Wednesday's, away to Stoke City. The 2-0 victory over the Potters will hopefully set the Reds up for another silky yet steely display against Sam Allardyce's West Ham United, a side who've made good use of Andy Carroll's aerial prowess during his season-long loan from Liverpool. The powerful striker scored his sixth goal in seven games on Saturday, albeit with a blast from a free-kick rather than a trademark header, as the Hammers held Southampton 1-1 at St Mary's. Prior to that, Allardyce's men beat West Brom 3-1 at Upton Park to propel their push towards guaranteed safety and potentially a top-half finish.

Ins and outs: Sir Alex Ferguson could freshen up at the back, especially if he feels Nemanja Vidic – described as a "bit short" of fitness by the boss on Friday – and Rio Ferdinand need a rest after the rigours of Stoke. Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling were both fit enough to be on the bench at the Britannia Stadium. As for West Ham, defenders Winston Reid and George McCartney and midfielders Mark Noble and Joe Cole were all unavailable for selection by Allardyce on Saturday.

Last meeting: Wayne Rooney scored the only goal when the Reds beat the Hammers 1-0 at Old Trafford in January's FA Cup third-round replay, after the original tie at Upton Park ended 2-2.

Did you know? The Reds' first-ever league match at Upton Park was on Boxing Day (26 December) in 1922. Nothing unusual in that, you might think, but the sides had also played each other 24 hours earlier – yes, on Christmas Day – at Old Trafford. In both games, the away team won (2-1, then 2-0).

Opposition boss: Sam Allardyce's tenure at West Ham will soon outstrip his stint as Blackburn boss in terms of matches he's been manager for. To date, his 87 games with the Hammers have resulted in 38 wins, 23 draws and 26 defeats. He won only 32 – and lost 34 – of his 90 fixtures with Rovers.

Quote/unquote: "I think if we win them all, we get a recording our pockets, so it's a good aim, a nice target for all of us to achieve." – Wayne Rooney eyes the six remaining games, starting with West Ham.

Sub-plots: If the Reds pick up at least a point in East London, then the club's next visit to the capital could be the day we're all waiting for. After hosting Aston Villa next Monday, 22 April, Sir Alex's men go to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal on Sunday 28. Seven points from those three games would confirm United as champions, even if Manchester City keep winning.

Whistle blower: Wiltshire's Lee Probert will referee a Reds match for only the second time this season, having previously been on duty for November's home win over Queens Park Rangers. He's shown two red cards in his last two games – dismissing Steve Sidwell in Fulham's derby clash with QPR and Everton's Steven Pienaar during their helpful 2-0 win against Man City.

Papers: Rooney likely to sign new deal

Manchester United Striker Wayne Rooney is likely to sign a new contract to extend his Manchester United career this summer, despite suggestions from France that Paris Saint-Germain have concluded a deal for the player. It is understood that PSG's Qatari owners would be interested if Rooney came on to the market, though they do not believe that situation will arise, or that SirAlex Ferguson would sanction the sale of one of his top players to a potential Champions League knock-out stage rival. The relationship between Rooney and Ferguson does appear to have thawed since the player was omitted from the
starting line-up for the Champions League tie with Real Madrid last month and the prospects of contract talks beginning this summer are strong. There do not appear to be any plans to move for a striker to present Rooney with competition for places, contrary to suggestions of the club scouting Atletico Madrid's Radamel Falcao. There are no plans to move for Falcao.
Not all the papers are so sure Rooney's future lies at Old Trafford, however. The Express , The Mirror and The Sun all lead on Michel Moulin 's comments on French TV, where the boss of French publication 10 Sport revealed:"Rooney to PSG is done. I announce from trusted sources, he will be at PSG next season."


In non-Rooney news, Arsenal's Jack Wilshere says he's determined not to let United win the league at the Emirates when the Reds travel to north London on Sunday 28 April."We beat United here the season before last, so we know we're capable of it."

Sir Alex salutes Red's character

Manchester United's 2-0 away win at Stoke City on Sunday was a test of character that the Reds passed with flying colours, according to Sir Alex.
The challenge is now to repeat it with another tricky away trip to take on West Ham at Upton Park on Wednesday night.

Following defeats to Chelsea in the FA Cup sixth round replay and then Manchester City in the Barclays Premier League, United were in need of a win at the Stoke City to ensure no further incentives were handed to Roberto Mancini's men in the title race.
In windy conditions against a team renowned for their physicality and a home crowd lauded for its partisan atmosphere, the Reds delivered a composed performance under pressure to gain another valuable three points.
Having had time to reflect on the result, the performance and its potential broader significance, Sir Alex told ManUtd.com : "I always say you don't leave your character in the dressing room and I think we saw that against Stoke.
"The Britannia Stadium is not an easy place to go to and we had this swirling wind in the first half in particular, which was difficult, but nonetheless we had to find a way through it and we kept our composure. We weren't over-anxious about the game – we kept playing the ball, passing it around.
"We didn't make a lot of chances, but we've done that at Stoke over the last six years and made very few chances but usually won the games: a late goal from Tevez, a late goal from Chicharito.
"The performance and the character the players showed was terrific."
United now need a maximum seven points to clinch title no.20, but the team's mantra of focusing on the next game remains, and so attentions now turn firmly to taking another three points from Sam Allardyce's West Ham side.

Vidic: West Ham game will be tough

Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic expects another tough test on Wednesday night when the Reds travel to London to meet West Ham.
Sir Alex's men emerged from a bruising encounter at Stoke on Sunday with a 2-0 win and Vidic, who was terrific in the heart of United's defence, believes West Ham will pose a similar physical threat.
"Stoke is always a difficult place to go to but we fought for every ball, played some good football and, in the end, I think we deserved to win," he told MUTV . "It was physical. You know they're going to get the ball to the forwards, they're good at set-pieces, they're going to challenge defenders.
"Now it's West Ham and we have to play well again. They play in a similar style to Stoke – we're going to have long balls and set-pieces to deal with."
Victory at West Ham would leave the Reds needing just four points from five games to secure a 20th league title. Vidic admits lifting the Barclays Premier League trophy is on his mind, but knows nothing is guaranteed in football.
"Yes, you think you're almost there but you have to win the games," he said. "[Winning at Stoke] helps us build up the confidence and a few players had a great game – people like Antonio, Wayne and Robin.
"It's important for players like this to be in good form for the games to come."

Van Persie gets back to scoring ways

Robin van Persie felt compelled to thank his colleagues after scoring his first goal in eleven games during United's vital victory at Stoke City.
The Dutchman won and converted a second half penalty to net his first goal since February before joining United, his staff and the substitutes on the visitors' bench at the Britannia Stadium.
"I had to score that one and thankfully it went in, and after that the relief of a couple of weeks came out, I would say,"laughed the Dutchman. "I wanted to celebrate with everyone; with the players, the staff, with all the players involved even on the bench because they've been great to me from day one.
"Even when sometimes it is a little bit harder, they still believe in me and they still support me and help me wherever they can. That's why I wanted to join everyone."
Wayne Rooney paid tribute to van Persie's bravery in deciding to take the penalty, with the weight of expectation bearing down after so long without a goal.
"I'm sure he would have thought about it (the drought) before he took the penalty, but he showed a lot of courage to step up and put it away. Credit to him for that.
"Every player in the world has had a few games on the run without scoring. Robin's kept his head down, kept working and thankfully today he's got his goal and hopefully that'll kick him on because he'll be a massive player in the next few games for us."
Robin was speaking to MUTV and Sky Sports.

Sir Alex praises his players

Sir Alex Ferguson was full of praise for his players after a deserved 2-0 win at Stoke City on Sunday.
Michael Carrick and Robin van Persie scored the goals as the Reds took an important step towards a historic 20th league title.
After losing to Chelsea in the FA Cup and to Manchester City in the derby, some pressure was on the league leaders going into the hostile environment at the Britannia Stadium.
"It was a big one coming on the back of the defeat on Monday night and it was essential for us in terms of standing up and being counted," the boss told MUTV . "Everyone did a great job today.
"I said at the beginning of the game that the wind would affect the ball and it was the worst day possible to come to Stoke. They are a handful and it was a really tough match. Credit to the players as they battled all day."
Sir Alex was delighted to see van Persie end his 11-game goal drought but less enamoured to be embraced so vigorously by his enthralled top scorer.
"He nearly killed me!" he joked. "He forgets I'm 71! I always think you should celebrate goals – the boys celebrated right away and it was an emotional part of it. The supporters were encouraged by that.
"It was an absolutely tremendous penalty under pressure, with the wind blowing the ball off the spot two or three times," the manager stated. "He arrowed it right in the corner, a perfect penalty. He did well to get us a penalty after a tremendous ball out to him by Wayne and he was brought down.
"He and the rest of them will think they've done a great job today, very well justified in terms of the performance and having to dig in deep to get that result."
Sir Alex says he hopes Stoke do not go down, even though the defeat leaves the Potters in trouble following Sunderland's 3-0 win at Newcastle.
"I hope Stoke stay up," he insisted. "I think they're a great club with fantastic support and a great manager. Tony Pulis is terrific, one of the best in the business. With the job he's done here, he doesn't deserve to be in the position they are in.
"They should be doing better but I hope they stay up and I think they will get enough points. There was a great determination about them and determination at this part of the season is a good thing to have. I really do hope they stay up."
As for the Reds, the message from the manager is clear: end the season in style.
"The responsibility and expectation is for Manchester United to win every game," he told Sky Sports . "I don't think any of the supporters would think any differently.
"Today was the start and we have got six games left. To go and win the next game is what we want to do."

Match report: Stoke City 0 vs Manchester United 2

Manchester United got the title bid back on track with a convincing 2-0 win at the Britannia that extends the lead at the top of the Barclays Premier League to 15 points.
After the derby defeat to Local rivals Manchester City, a trip to a blustery Britannia Stadium against a team battling to avoid the drop was clearly a potential banana-skin but the Reds' class showed in testing conditions with Michael Carrick and Robin van Persie, from the penalty spot, grabbing the goals.
Sir Alex Ferguson selected Wayne Rooney in midfield with Javier Hernandez handed a chance to continue his fine scoring record against the Potters while Phil Jones and Shinji Kagawa also started. Rooney looked at home and the visitors made the perfect start following a fourth-minute corner.
Van Persie's cross led to right-back Phil Jones trying to hook the ball goal wards but a scramble ensued and Carrick intelligently jabbed into the corner of the net with the outside of his foot. It was a first league goal for the majestic midfielder this term and the 100th for United in all competitions in 2012/2013.
Another van Persie corner saw Patrice Evra lift an attempt over the top while Rooney forced a decent stop out of Asmir Begovic after unleashing a ferocious shot from long range. Stoke's response to falling behind was muted until Robert Huth headed wide from a Charlie Adam cross.

Nevertheless, United controlled the game for the majority of the first half and looked pretty comfortable. Van Persie tried to end his goal drought and lobbed a cheeky effort well wide from 40 yards out after robbing Adam before firing in a snap-shot that was fumbled behind for a corner by Begovic.
Sir Alex was fuming when ex-Red Ryan Shawcross escaped punishment for blatantly wrestling Hernandez to the ground as the home side's strong-arm tactics sometimes crossed the line. Rooney had a chance to score seconds later but his free-kick flew inches wide of Begovic's right-hand post.

Stoke managed to mount some pressure in first-half injury time but a similar pattern emerged after the interval with United in control, without really ramming home the advantage. Superb passes by Rooney and Hernandez carved out an opportunity for van Persie but the Dutchman lashed into the
side-netting from a difficult angle.
As the Potters became more comfortable in defence, they tried getting the ball forward quickly and started to make attempts of their own. Jon Walters hooked over the bar and Adam worked David De Gea with a couple of wind-assisted shots. Kenwyne Jones then blazed off target but the warning signs were soon heeded by the Reds.

Phil Jones and Antonio Valencia worked the ball cleverly down the right and Rooney bided his time before releasing van Persie. Andy Wilkinson made a reckless tackle as van Persie dummied back and, ultimately, floored United's leading goalscorer inside the area to prompt referee Jon Moss to point to the spot. Calmly ignoring the fact that the wind initially blew the ball from the
spot, van Persie stepped up to place his penalty wide of Begovic before sprinting off to celebrate with Sir Alex, Rene Meulensteen and Alexander Büttner on the sidelines.
The second goal led to unrest among sections of the home support but City's response on the pitch was more impressive with De Gea forced to smother a shot by Ryan Shotton following a slip by Evra, which could have proved costly. Kenwyne Jones then tumbled over a grounded Nemanja Vidic inside the area but, despite the appeals, a spot-kick would have been ridiculously harsh.
The introduction of Danny Welbeck, for Hernandez, and Michael Owen gave the away fans the chance to go through some of the song-book as the clock ticked down on a 12th away win of the league campaign. Stoke's performance may have highlighted a lack of confidence but Adam, voted his team's man of the match on the tannoy to ironic cheers from the visiting supporters, again worked De Gea with a free-kick that drifted towards the far post.
Shotton's embarrassing miskick perhaps summed up the hosts' afternoon but United now only need seven points from six games to clinch a record 20th title - starting with Wednesday's visit to West Ham.

Rooney: Sir Alex inspires me

Wayne Rooney has heaped praise on his club manager Sir Alex Ferguson for helping to motivate the squad after last season's dramatic end, which saw rivals Manchester City win the title in the closing seconds of the campaign.
This season, Sir Alex's side have proven to be the dominant force in the Premier League, which is reflected in their 12-point advantage over second placed Manchester City.
Rooney - as Unitedprime blog exclusively revealed last month has admitted to team-mates he could leave the club in the summer,says that his boss deserves the credit for United's position at the top of the table because his man-management skills have such a positive impact on the squad.
He told the Times of India: " We have regular team meetings and he speaks to a lot of players individually too. And his team-talks are brilliant. They really inspire you. It doesn't matter that we might be a few points clear, he never lets you feel like that before a match because he wants us to keep going.
"The important thing is to go out and play each game with a positive attitude. We have to stay focused. We have to make sure we keep doing our job and keep our concentration. "
The 27-year-old said: "It's a great position to be in but nothing is over yet. We've just kept plugging away and have been getting results and thankfully the other teams have dropped points. But we have to keep things going, keep pushing on and working hard to make sure that gap stays as big as possible. It's going to be a big few weeks for us now.
"Of course, to lose the league in the last second last season was bad. But when you are at a club like United, you have to be full of motivation and desire to win every year. That comes from the manager."

Chicharito: Winning is all that matters

Chicharito insists that the Reds are not worried by a recent lack of goals and insists winning games is all that matters at the moment.
After failing to score in the FA Cup replay at Chelsea, the Reds' two goals in the last two league games have come courtesy of the opposition.
Hernandez maintains it doesn't matter who or how many goals United score, as long as the team wins. And he says the players are determined to bounce back from the Manchester derby defeat with victory at Stoke on Sunday.
"Sometimes you can score a lot of goals and sometimes you are only scoring a few. It's part of football," he told MUTV 's Countdown to Kick-off show.
"In some parts of the season we have scored a lot of goals. In December [and into January] we scored at least two goals in a few games in a row. That happens.
"We are working very hard to try and create as many chances as we can and when we have those chances we always try to score. The most important thing for us is to win the games - even if we win 1-0 we would still love that."

United only need 10 points to reclaim the Trophy, but Chicharito insists no-one at Old Trafford is thinking of anything but three points on Sunday.
"We have to forget about that [when United could win the title]. We are only thinking about Stoke," he adds. "We aretaking it game by game. It's Stoke now and then we'll thinkabout West Ham [on Wednesday] and then the next game.
"We are working very hard in training and doing what the gaffer wants us to so we can put in a performance on the pitch."

Ferdinand: no hangover from Madrid match

Rio Ferdinand insists the Reds are not suffering from any kind of hangover from last month's Real Madrid defeat, despite some disappointing results of late.
After losing out in the FA Cup quarter-final replay away at Chelsea, having initially been in control of the tie at Old Trafford, the Reds went down 2-1 in the Manchester derby on Monday night.
Ferdinand maintains the players simply didn't reach the levels needed against Chelsea and City and says the results were not affected by the Reds' Champions League exit.
"There has been no hangover at all," he told MUTV 's Countdown to Kick-Off show. "The Madrid game was a weird one - you're gutted obviously, but it didn't feel the same as when we lost to City because we didn't play well in that game.
"Against Madrid we did everything that was asked of us as players, but one decision took us off the rails and had a big impact on the way the game finished. So I wouldn't say that [about there being a hangover].
"We've had a couple of hard games against two teams [Chelsea and City] that are up there [near the top]. We've got no divine right to beat those teams, but we should have beaten them given we were playing at home. That's the disappointing thing. But no, there is no hangover."
Despite the loss to City, United remain well in control of their title destiny and Ferdinand says the players are simply focusing on finishing the job.
"Inevitably you have a bit of a down period for a day or so but you've got to dust yourself down and move on, and that's what we're doing," he added. "We go into the Stoke game [on Sunday] knowing we need to put a good performance and result together.
"What you aim for at the start of the season is to get some consistency within your team and that's what we've done. the
results we've had have been churned out through hard work and applying ourselves in the right way and we've got to continue that.
"One defeat in 19 is some going. We can't allow all that hard work to be undone by one or two bad results of late.

Unitedprime blog: Preview: Stoke City vs Manchester United

Unitedprime blog: Preview: Stoke City vs Manchester United: Form status: Manchester United's 18-match unbeaten run in the Barclays Premier League was ended when local rivals Manchester City triump...

Preview: Stoke City vs Manchester United

Form status: Manchester United's 18-match unbeaten run in the Barclays Premier League was ended when local rivals Manchester City triumphed at Old Trafford, a result that leaves the Reds 12 points clear at the top with just seven games to play. Sir Alex Ferguson's side need just 10 points to secure the title and hope to grab three of those against Stoke City, who have only won two of 12 matches in 2013. As a result, the Potters are in 15th position and battling relegation.

Injury news: The boss expects Ashley Young to miss out after he limped out of Monday's derby defeat with an ankle injury. However, the squad could be boosted by the return of defensive trio Nemanja Vidic, Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling, while Paul Scholes might also make his long-awaited comeback from injury. The hosts will complete late fitness tests on Matthew Etherington and Mark Wilson,but Gary Whelan is not expected to feature.

Previous meeting: Wayne Rooney recovered from scoring an own goal to strike twice as United recorded a 4-2 win over Stoke at Old Trafford in October. Robin van Persie and Danny Welbeck were also on the scoresheet, as well as Michael Kightly, during a topsy-turvy match that was in keeping with the Reds' early-season performances.

Did you know? United, while still named Newton Heath, lost 7-1 in the first ever meeting with Stoke in 1893. Since then, the two teams have contested 96 games, of which the Reds have won 38 and drawn 32, scoring an impressive 145 goals in the process.

Sir Alex's men can temporarily reclaim a 15-point lead over City, who are in FA Cup action.

Referee: Yorkshire-based referee Jon Moss will take charge of this fixture. So far this season, he has dished out 77 yellow cards and one red in 27 matches. United fans last saw him during a 2-0 home win over West Brom on 29 December.

Sir Alex: We are in good shape

Sir Alex Ferguson believes Manchester United "are in good shape" ahead of Sunday's trip to Stoke City after injured trio Jonny Evans, Nemanja Vidic and Chris Smalling all made positive strides this week.
Speaking during his Friday morning press conference at Carrington, the boss confirmed Evans has trained all week and is in contention to start at the Britannia Stadium, while Vidic and Smalling have stepped up their individual workloads to potentially boost the Reds' defensive options.
Paul Scholes should start training next Monday after struggling with a knee problem in recent months, however Ashley Young is set to be out for a fortnight with an ankle injury sustained during Monday's derby defeat to Manchester City at Old Trafford.
"I'm hoping Vida will start training today," Sir Alex told reporters. "Jonny Evans has trained this week, which is better news than we had building up to Monday's game. Ashley Young is out – he got a sore whack on his ankle and is maybe out for two weeks. Other than that, we're in good shape in terms of player availability.
"Chris Smalling started running this week and Paul Scholes will start training with the first-team on Monday. He's done a fair bit in the last week or so and it will be a terrific boost to get his football intelligence back in the squad. He's been out for a few weeks now so he'll need a good bit of training with us.
"You know you're always going to get a hard game at Stoke. That will never change."

Sir Alex: We need a win at Stoke

Sir Alex Ferguson says his team needs to be victorious at the Britannia Stadium on Sunday to get the title charge back on track.
The derby-day reverse to Manchester City trimmed the
lead to 12 points with seven games to play, enough to cause a minor bout of the jitters for some fans in the wake of what happened at the end of last year's Barclays Premier League campaign.
Any trip to Stoke City is usually tough and the Potters are desperate for points themselves after slipping down the table. However, the United manager is determined to secure victory ahead of the midweek journey south to West Ham next Wednesday.
"We have a job to do," stated Sir Alex. "The incentives are there for ourselves in the sense that we've only got seven games left.
"The challenge is there for Stoke as well. I don't think they will go down but, nonetheless, they're in a precarious situation because, down the bottom of that league, you don't pick up a lot of points. I think they'll get enough to get out.
"I don't think we should look at our position in terms of being 12 points clear. What matters is winning on Sunday and we need to do that.
As we always do, we should just try to do our best. We have a job to do on Sunday and we need to do it."
The boss doesn't accept the view that Manchester City deserved to win Monday's top-of-the-table clash at Old Trafford.
"It's always disappointing to lose a derby," he conceded at his press conference. "There was nothing in it between the two teams.
"Possession-wise, they were better in the first half and we were better in the second half but lost two bad goals and you can't do that in derby games. It was a fantastic derby in the
sense of the intensity.
"The start of the game was absolutely brilliant. Both teams went for it and it was end-to-end. Both had half-chances of sorts but it ended up that Joe Hart had the only save in the
match to make. There was only one save in the whole match between the two goalkeepers. That gives you an idea about how close the game was.