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Manchester United striker Michael Owen has spoken of his desire to play more regularly for the Premier League champions, and is hoping to force his way into the starting XI at Old Trafford.

The attacker was given a rare start for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men against Leeds in the Carling Cup on Tuesday, and he repaid the Scottish coach’s faith by grabbing two goals in a 3-0 win.

Despite this, with Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez the preferred strike partnership, and Dimitar Berbatov and Danny Welbeck in contention also, Owen may find chances hard to come by, but is willing to fight for a place.

“I’m not content if I’m not playing. I get criticised a lot with things like ‘you don’t play, you pick your money up’ and all the rest of it but I’m not proud of that fact. I want to play all the time.,” he told reporters.

Owen featured heavily in his first season at United, but knows that this term it will be difficult to command a regular position due to the quality at Ferguson’s disposal.

“If the season was going to be like the first season I was here then I’d be delighted. That was fantastic and I felt involved. I was always either on the bench or playing.

“Obviously I want to be involved again but I appreciate that there’s some top players in the team and in the squad and it’s a challenge to get on the bench let alone into the first team,” he concluded.

Ferguson was full of praise for his attacker after the Leeds game, and is happy with the veteran forward’s contribution.

“Michael Owen’s finishing was fantastic. His goal ratio is unbelievable. We are very pleased with him,” he told The Daily Mail.

“Unfortunately for us he has had one or two injuries. But with me having Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Javier Hernandez he is not getting the games he deserves and that is unfortunate.”

With Hernandez due to be sidelined for a number of weeks after being injured by Ashley Cole against Chelsea, Owen will look to take advantage and increase his playing time in the Mexican’s absence.

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Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti admits his team have very little chance of winning the Premier League title as they prepare to face Fulham on Monday.

The defending champions are rocking after losing to Liverpool last week in Fernando Torres’ first match for the club and now Ancelotti is having to reset his targets with Chelsea 10 points behind leaders Manchester United.

“It’s difficult to think we can come back to fight for the title, it’s better to think game by game,” he said.

“We have to reach minimum fourth place. To close the gap is very difficult; we have to be honest about this. But the most important step is to be fourth in the table and fight with the other teams.”

Ancelotti admitted he was shocked at the way his side, seemingly back in form, lost to Liverpool last week.

“I think it was a surprise the defeat against Liverpool because I saw in the days before the game that the team trained well with motivation and power,” he said.

“But now we have to look forward to Fulham and maintain high our confidence; you have to have confidence when you play above all the Champions League.”

“Our aims now are very clear, we have Champions League, we have FA Cup and we have to close the gap. It’s difficult to close the gap but we have to reach fourth to keep Chelsea in the Champions League.”

New boy David Luiz, signed from Benfica for 21 million pounds, will make his full debut for the Blues in Monday’s game at Fulham.

The Brazilian defender has been told he will face Mark Hughes’ side as Chelsea bid to recover from their loss to the Reds last week.

“He will start. David Luiz is a very good defender because he has ability and skills to play all the positions in the back four. He can play centre-back, right-back, he hasn’t played left-back but he has the ability to play there,” Ancelotti said.

“He’s Brazilian so he has very good technique. He can help us to build our play better from the back. I think he will be one of the best defenders in the world in the future.”

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“He’s young but he already has fantastic experience because he played in Benfica, he played in the Champions. Sadly he cannot play in the Champions League for us but he can show his quality in the Premier League and FA Cup.”

Chelsea expect to go into the match at Craven Cottage with no new injury problems after the international break.

“The players came back yesterday, they don’t have a problem. Everything is ok. Just (Jose) Bosingwa has a little problem and we hope to recover him in time. Some players played 90 minutes but we have time to prepare them.”

It’s Saturday evening; you’ve secured the prime sofa position for optimum television viewing and struggled through an entire episode of Casualty. Now all that’s left is to ‘look away now’ at the end of the news and you can saviour the delights of another set of Premier League fixtures.

Now, Saturdays can be somewhat demanding, with a long list of activities on offer and the exciting prospect of consuming alcohol without the fear of having to get up in the morning. This will inevitably mean you’re not as attentive as you should be and it’s at this moment when certain players convince you of their bogus talent in their 5-minute airing on the BBC. You might witness a fantastic mazy run or a blinding solo effort but just like when meeting your idols, watching them in the flesh is always a disappointment.

Click on David Luiz below to reveal my top 15 players who only look good on MOTD

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Join on me Twitter @theunusedsub where I think the greatest incentive for a club to achieve promotion is so they no longer have to endure Steve Claridge analysing their games on The Fooball League Show.

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Craig Bellamy has stated that it is an honour to be signed by Anfield legend Kenny Dalglish, and that he is looking forward to starting with Liverpool for the second time.

The 32-year-old played for the Merseyside club in 2006/07, and resigned for The Reds on transfer deadline day after being frozen out at big spending Manchester City.

Reports indicate that Tottenham were keen to bring the 32-year-old to White Hart Lane, but Bellamy had only one side in mind.

“I’ve grown up with Kenny Dalglish, now to be signed by him is a massive honour,” he told Liverpoolfc.tv.

“This is an exciting time. When Kenny took over, watching as a fan last season I got the buzz as well and it was great to see Liverpool end the season well.

“For me, the players they’ve signed this summer, there has been a lot of British which takes me back to when I started watching Liverpool. It looks so familiar to me and to be part of it is such a huge honour,” the Wales international continued.

Dalglish played for Liverpool for 13 years, winning six league titles and three European Cups, and Bellamy is full of praise for the Scottish coach.

“To every Liverpool fan, Kenny is probably the best player ever to pull on the red shirt so that speaks for itself. He was the first player-manager to do the double and just the way he conducted himself really.

“I know we’ve had bits of success since then but the club hasn’t been the same since he left, so to come back in and be a part of this with the players who are here – it’s a good time,” he concluded.

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Bellamy could be in line to make his debut against Stoke at the Britannia Stadium on September 10th.

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It is a refreshing change to see a pretty full Premier League calendar this Saturday. Manchester United and Arsenal appear to have home bankers in which both can strengthen their position at the top of the Premier League table. Elsewhere Manchester City and Tottenham both face tough away trips to test their title credentials; while West Ham won’t welcome the tough trip to Goodison Park as they look to drag themselves away from the bottom of the table.

In the papers this morning there have been a mixed bag of stories that include Arsene Wenger eyes the quadruple; Liverpool continue to attract top players, while Gerard Houllier hits back at Sunderland critics.

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Spurs and West Ham make final bids for Olympic Stadium – Guardian

Uefa considers calendar overhaul – Daily Telegraph

Liverpool attract top players – Comolli- Independent

Arsene tells stars: Go and win the lot – Sun

Houllier hits back at Bent criticisms – Guardian

Giggs: I’ll play on next season – Sun

Spurs target Rossi is available for £16.5m – Independent

Grant ready to take Joe Cole ‘home’ on loan – Mirror

Brady: Grant chaos made us stronger – Guardian

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Giggs plans to extend Manchester United contract – Independent

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As Martin O’Neill prepares to get stuck into his Sunderland squad, the Stadium of Light rumour mill is in full swing with a host of names being linked with a move to the North East.

It’s an exciting time for Black Cats supporters as they debate the merits of potential new recruits and attempt to predict O’Neill’s targets, despite the Northern Irishman keeping his cards typically close to his chest. While a number of fresh faces could well be lining up in Red and White next season, their places in the side must be vacated by members of the current squad and as such many of O’Neill’s troops could find themselves surplus to requirements this summer.

With the club reportedly chasing at least two new strikers, defensive reinforcements and some speedy wingers, they must free up space in a side brimming with talented squad players. As well as finding the room to accommodate any new signings, the club must also consider the financial implications of their recruitment drive and freeing up wages while recouping as much of their outlay as possible is of paramount importance if they’re to maintain their sustainability.

It’s time to take a look at the 10 players who could be surplus to O’Neill’s requirements this summer as he looks to stamp his authority and mould his team into European challengers.

Click on Connor Wickham to unveil the 10

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With Man United finally giving up in their pursuit to sign Wesley Sneijder it is clear that Fergie believes this current squad is certainly good enough to retain their title this coming season. The fringe players have certainly stepped up in pre-season and given the United boss some genuine food for thought.

At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Manchester United blogs that includes no respite for United’s punch bag; Fergie set to save millions, while Hernandez provides a welcome throwback from the past.

We also look at the best Manchester United articles around the web this week.

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A burgeoning talent set to save Fergie millions?

A welcome headache for Sir Alex Ferguson

No respite for Manchester United’s punching bag

Are Manchester United really better off?

Win or lose, this time it matters for Manchester United

Have United’s rivals got what it takes to knock them off their perch?

Javier Hernandez – a throwback from the past

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Best of WEB

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United’s New Signing Could Hold The Key To Champions League Success – Red Flag Flying High

Reds’ vibrancy points to a flexible future – United Rant

Friendly competition for positions foretells a bright future – The Busby Way

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Fans Should Know That They Know As Much As The Players Do – United Religion

Manchester United ‘Pull Plug On Wesley Sneijder Deal’ – Red Flag Flying High

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Click on Miss Blasi below to see her in all her glory

Having already played more than half of the Premier League season, Football FanCast wants to know who YOU think should win the PFA award.

Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney won the award last year due to a stunning season of football, scoring an astonishing 26 goals and assisting 6 times in the Premier League alone – allowing the former Everton striker to scoop both the PFA and Football Writers’ awards last term.

However, this year it is Rooney’s counter-part Dimitar Berbatov who has been in a fine run of form with 19 goals so far this season, scoring 3 hat-tricks and five goals alone in their 7-1 drubbing of Allardyce’s Blackburn Rovers. A hat-trick against biggest rivals Liverpool back in September showed the world of his undistinguishable class, knocking in a strong contender for the goal of the season.

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Tottenham’s Gareth Bale has been outstanding since emerging into Redknapp’s starting XI in 2009, and has shown his true ability, adapting fantastically to his newly assigned left wing – scoring 7 goals and providing 3 assists in the domestic league. Bale has emerged into a strong footballer over a short period of time, and has been essential to Tottenham’s success in both the Premier and Champions League – making a fool of Inter’s world class Maicon all at the same time of course. A hat-trick against Inter Milan when losing 4-0 really does show the Welshman’s talent.

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Continue to the NEXT PAGE for more contenders…

Bale’s team-mate Rafael van der Vaart has also largely impressed, and has been a pivotal factor alongside Bale in pushing Tottenham to properly challenge for the domestic title in over 53 years. Since joining from Real Madrid for a reduced fee of £8million in the summer, VDV has been a revelation to the club, leading the attack with 9 goals and six assists and could prove to be one of Tottenham’s most impactful signings of all time. The Dutchman has already gained both heart and support from the Spurs fans, but will eye to finish high on what has already been a fantastic season for the 27-year-old. A two-goal tally against Aston Villa in both October and December are probably his best displays.

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Arsenal’s Samir Nasri has been on prolific form all season, with 9 goals and a single assist. However it is not only the figures which count for the Gunners, as he has provided the creative spark that Arsenal have so desperately needed in Cesc Fabregas’s absence. Nasri continued his form on nicely for his country, playing a central role in France’s 2-1 victory over England at Wembley last year.

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Continue to the NEXT PAGE for more contenders…

Blackpool’s Charlie Adam has recently been of intense media speculation since the winter transfer window opened, with the Seasiders receiving bids from both Liverpool and Aston Villa. Adam has been without a doubt Blackpool’s player of the season so far, providing sensational performances and acting as Holloway’s Xabi Alonso – central to set-pieces and the general assister of the side. The former Rangers midfielder helped the Blackpool to promotion last season and remains the club’s best asset, but may have set his sights on Anfield after handing a transfer request this week.

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Manchester City’s controversial captain Carlos Tevez has been nominated for the award, due to his prolific goal-scoring form all season. With 14 goals and 5 assists in the Premier League, Tevez has notoriously lead City into seriously challenging for the title and bringing silverware to Eastlands. Despite a mid-season wobble, declaring that he wanted to leave Manchester because he missed his family and was homesick – Tevez answered his critics the way every footballer should: with a leading performance on the pitch. Despite not scoring a hat-trick yet this season, the Argentine has scored twice on five separate occasions.

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Vote in the poll below for the player YOU think should take home the Player of the Year award.

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Follow me on Twitter for fantastic features and the latest updates on the PFA awards!

Real Madrid are ready to take the initiative in the race to sign Tottenham’s star playmaker Luka Modric, and will make a £30 million bid in coming days according to The Daily Mail.

The Croatia international’s future at White Hart Lane is unsure after the side missed out on Champions League football, and with his nation now eliminated from Euro 2012 it is expected that the transfer talks will commence.

Modric was pursued by Chelsea last summer but Spurs held firm and rejected approaches from their Premier League neighbours, however Manchester United are thought to be serious suitors of the midfielder this time round.

However, Jose Mourinho’s Madrid team are looking to strengthen their Primera Division squad, and it is believed that the Santiago Bernabeu chief has told the club to make a bid for Modric.

With Spurs reluctant to part with their star man, a sale to a foreign side would be preferred over selling Modric to any of their Premier League rivals.

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By Gareth McKnight

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As football fans around the country brace themselves for the start of the Premier League season, FFC wanted to point you in the direct of the NEW ESPN Goals App that is now available for you to download for FREE.

This ultimate Barclays Premier league app includes live scores, video highlights and clips of every goal* for all 380 games – within just minutes of it taking place.

The essential football app for fans of the Barclays Premier League will feature: Video of goals and match action from every Barclays Premier League match all season long Live scores and match stats Fixtures and results from around the league Additional video including match previews and weekend round-ups Video alerts: Alerts for goal videos, match highlight clips and Weekend roundup clips.

Can you afford not to have this app on your phone – Click here to find out more!

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* Goals footage is near-live with goals available shortly after being scored except for footage from matches on Saturday from 3pm, this is due to UEFA restrictions. Footage from these matches is available from approximately 5.15pm Saturday