Sir Alex Ferguson has praised the attitude of his Manchester United squad for adapting to his rotation policy.

United boss Ferguson has regularly changed his team around this season due to injuries and the number of games the club have played.

The alterations have not affected the team's bid for honours, with the Fifa Club World Cup and Carling Cup already won, and the Red Devils in a promising position in the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League.

Ferguson concedes it is difficult to leave a player out after an impressive performance, but has hailed the manner in which his players accept the changes.

Marvellous

"The attitude of the players has been marvellous, especially when it comes to the business of being left out," said Ferguson. "There have been no dummies flying out of the pram.

"I hate telling a player that, although he has perhaps just delivered a top-class performance, I will not be using him in the next match.

"It's not nice, but it helps that the players understand."

The United chief also praised the form of John O'Shea, with the versatile Irishman having started regularly at right-back in recent weeks.

Ferguson added: "I feel blessed that we have players like John O'Shea, who has stepped in to play out of his skin.

"John has thrived on playing regularly and I'm sure that if I asked him to play at centre-forward he would get us a goal.

"It's great to have such adaptable players and it's one of our strengths as we enter the last lap of the title race."

Manchester United full-back Rafael has revealed he and twin brother Fabio were approached by a scout claiming to represent Arsenal.

The incident occurred three years ago when the talented duo were in their homeland and on the books of Fluminese, but had already travelled to train with the Red Devils.

While there is absolutely no suggestion the mystery scout was connected to Arsenal or acting under their instruction, the duo found the incident upsetting.

Rafael told The Sun: "We were not happy with the way he approached us. The scout said he was from Arsenal and invited us to come and train.

"At that time we had already been to see Manchester United and train once with our club's permission.

"But this man wanted to take us to England and say nothing to Fluminese. We disagreed with that principle. Fluminese was where we started and they looked after us."

Fabio revealed how their mother advised them to ignore the scout and stay loyal to Fluminese before the Brazilian club reached an agreement with United for their services.

He added: "It was upsetting. We could have signed there and then and taken all the money and Fluminese would have got nothing.

"But our mother said 'No, Fluminese have been good for you. I want you to do everything right'."

Seven teams lie in wait for United in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals draw: three domestic rivals, two continental big-hitters and two relative outsiders. How are the possible opponents shaping up?
(Odds to win the trophy are in brackets, from ManUtd.com/bet)

Barcelona (5/2) Group C winners; beat Lyon 6-2 on aggregate in last 16; UCL top scorer 08/09 - Lionel Messi (6); Reds’ head-to-head in Europe: P9 W3 D4 L2 F14 A15

Barcelona fully justify their position as joint favourites with United to triumph in Rome - indeed, they may well have gone on to lift the trophy last year had the Reds not knocked them out at the semis stage. Sir Alex described their second-leg display against Lyon in the last round as “absolutely brilliant”, and the Catalan giants are undoubtedly the team to avoid in Friday’s draw. Barça can be vulnerable, however - they conceded eight goals in the group stages, including a 3-2 defeat away at Shaktar, and suffered a major wobble last month, going five games without a win, including a humiliating home defeat against local rivals - and bottom-of-the-league - Espanyol, and a 4-3 reverse at Atletico Madrid.

Chelsea (5/1) Group A runners-up; beat Juventus 3-2 on aggregate in last 16; UCL top scorer 08/09 - Didier Drogba (3); Reds’ head-to-head in Europe: P1 W0 D1* L0 F1 A1 (*United won 6-5 on penalties)

The odds are stacked that United will meet an English club at some stage, and how Chelsea would relish a chance to avenge their Luzhniki heartache. The Reds were much the better team in two league encounters this term, but the Blues have been a more potent outfit since Guus Hiddink became boss. They're unbeaten in eight under his tutelage and remain in the hunt for a Treble of their own.

Liverpool (7/1) Group D winners, beat Real Madrid 5-0 on aggregate in last 16; UCL top scorer 08/09 - Steven Gerrard (7); Reds' head-to-head in Europe: Never met

Now then. It’s traditionally been the European match-up to make everyone – both clubs, both sets of fans, the tournament organisers – wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat and experiencing a general feeling of impending doom. But following Saturday’s horrific reverse, coupled with their win at Anfield in September, we would lay good money that every man inside the Old Trafford home dressing room would be desperate for an early opportunity to set the record straight. Okay, your heart would skip a beat if the two teams are paired in Nyon this week, but just imagine what it would be doing if United were to play to our potential and send them packing at the quarter-finals stage?

Arsenal (8/1) Group C runners-up, beat Roma on penalties in last 16; UCL top scorers 08/09 - Emmanuel Adebayor, Robin van Persie (3); Reds' head-to-head in Europe: Not met

Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge floundered even earlier than usual this season, but the Gunners have regrouped and are still in the running for the Champions League and the FA Cup. Arsene Wenger hailed his side’s mental strength after they defeated Roma in a penalty shootout in the red-hot atmosphere of the Olympic Stadium, and talismanic skipper Cesc Fabregas should be fit for the quarter-finals which will be a huge boost for the North Londoners. United suffered a rare reverse at the Emirates earlier in the season… will Arsenal have to make two trips to Old Trafford as the season draws to a close?

Bayern Munich (10/1) Group F winners, beat Sporting Lisbon 12-1 on aggregate in last 16; UCL top scorer 08/09 – Miroslav Klose (7); Reds’ head-to-head in Europe: P7 W1 D4 L2 F7 A8

Bayern’s last-round demolition of Sporting Lisbon in the last round made Europe sit up and take notice, but if ‘FC Hollywood’ (as they are known in Germany) are to progress further, they will have to do so without top scorer Miroslav Klose, whose ankle injury against Vfl Bochum last weekend has ruled him out for at least six weeks. Bayern were already missing Luca Toni and Franck Ribery through injury for that Bundesliga match, and coach Jurgen Klinsmann will be praying no more of his star names are crocked before the Champions League restarts. The Bavarian side were unbeaten in the group stages of the UCL but aren’t having it their own way domestically, currently lagging four points behind leaders Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga.

Villarreal (33/1) Group E runners-up, beat Panathinaikos 3-2 on aggregate in last 16; UCL top scorer 08/09 (yes, they have scored) - Joseba Llorente (4); Reds’ head-to-head in Europe: P4 W0 D4 L0 F0 A0

Neutral fans of free-flowing attacking football will be praying we aren’t paired with the Yellow Submarines again, and while they are undoubtedly one of the outsiders still left in the tournament, Sir Alex and co know only too well just how difficult it is to break down the Spanish battlers. And the team from Castellon aren’t here just to make up the numbers: they made it all the way to the semi-final stage in 2006, knocking out Inter in the quarters before narrowly losing 1-0 on aggregate to Arsenal in the semis, in a match notable for Jens Lehmann’s save of Juan Roman Riquelme’s last-minute penalty. Former Red Giuseppe Rossi is confident their European adventure can continue. “We have no idea how far we can go,” he admitted, “but we have a very good team and if we keep on playing well, just like we did against Panathinaikos, we could go far."

Porto (33/1): Group G winners, beat Atletico Madrid on away goals, 2-2 on aggregate in last 16; UCL top scorer 08/09 - Lisandro (6); Reds’ head-to-head in Europe: P6 W2 D2 L2 F11 A9

This is the furthest the Dragons have ventured in Europe’s top club competition since they won the tournament in 2004, when they knocked United out along the way (lest we forget). Manuel Pellegrini’s side have already travelled to England in this season’s campaign and returned to northern Portugal nursing the wounds suffered in a 4-0 defeat to Arsenal in September. The 2-0 victory over the Gunners in the group stage’s final matchday was some form of revenge and guaranteed top spot in Group G, but Argentinian captain Lucho is fully aware that his side will start second favourites no matter who they draw in the quarter-final draw. “We'll take whichever team comes up,” he said after the win over Atletico Madrid. “They will all be difficult to play against. First we owe it to ourselves to enjoy this moment, and then we'll start working towards the next stage."

The draw for the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League will commence at 11:00 GMT on Friday 20 March. Make sure you visit ManUtd.com for news of the draw and all the reaction from inside the United camp.

Chris Osuh

March 18, 2009

USAIN Bolt - the fastest man alive - will give the Bupa Great Manchester Run its quickest ever start with a special sprint through the streets of the city.

Bolt, a life-long United fan, will also visit the Reds' training ground the day after he jets in from Jamaica and is expected to do speed work with Cristiano Ronaldo.

Elite

The Olympic superstar is bringing his unique brand of gold-dust to Manchester in what will be his first appearance in Europe this year. Bolt, 22, will line up alongside elite international athletics stars for a short dash on the afternoon of the May 17 charity challenge in a massive coup for organisers and the city.

More than 33,000 people have already signed up for this year's road race and Bolt's appearance is expected to boost TV audiences worldwide.

Records

The Jamaican sprinter was catapulted to greatness after winning gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4 x 100m races - while breaking three world records - at last year's Olympic Games in Beijing.

The Great Manchester Run is already hugely popular but the track star's appearance is expected to draw bigger crowds than ever before. Event organiser, commentator and track legend Brendan Foster secured the flying visit from Bolt with a helping hand from United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

Training

Bolt is expected to arrive from Jamaica on Thursday May 14, do his training the next day, then see his side take on Arsenal at Old Trafford on May 16.

Race spokesman David Hart said: "On the day of the Great Manchester Run, Usain will compete against British and overseas stars on a specially constructed track in Manchester city centre.

'World'

"The event will be broadcast live on the BBC, so images of Manchester will go all over the world."

Brendan Foster first approached Bolt's Middlesex-based manager, Ricky Simms, about getting the star to come to Manchester. Then he got Sir Alex to write to Bolt to invite him to the city.

Mr Foster said: "Usain is a massive United fan."

James Robson

March 20, 2009

TOMASZ Kuszczak will seek talks with Sir Alex Ferguson this summer to see if he still has a future at United.

The Polish international has slipped behind Ben Foster in the race to become Edwin van der Sar's long-term replacement and last night played for the reserves against Hull.

Ferguson insists all his keepers will start with a clean slate next season but he has made it clear that Foster is likeliest to become United's first choice.

He has already tipped the 25-year-old to be a future England No 1 - and chose him ahead of Kuszczak for the Carling Cup final this month.

Kuszczak, who is wanted by Zenit St Petersburg, insists he is prepared to stay and fight for his place. But he will still seek talks with Ferguson at the end of the season.

"When I get back from vacation, I will sit down with Sir Alex Ferguson and determine what is best for me," he said. "His opinion is the most important.

"He said that he needed me and he was pleased with the progress that I've made. But he added he could not promise me the position - I have to capture that on my own.

"The same for Foster. For the last two years, I have been trying to be No 1 but without success yet.

"But not because I am in poorer form, but because Van der Sar plays perfectly.

"Nobody at the club gives me the feeling I'm not wanted."

Kuszczak has played only seven times this season, compared to six for Foster - notably being used in the Premier League with his rival being limited to just cup games.

But Foster is expected to be given more first chances before the end of the season.