As most people around the world, unwrapped their Christmas gifts and opened the boxes to see what is in store for them, there was a big box awaiting Manchester United at Old Trafford, the Theatre of Dreams. At the end of 90 minutes, United found out what Santa had given them for Christmas; 5 goals, 3 points, dropped points for our rivals and the helping hand from referee Phil Dowd in sending Wigan Athletic’s Conor Sammon off in the 40^th minute. Maybe with his belly, Phil Dowd probably thought that in the spirit of Christmas, he would assume the guise of Santa for the Old Trafford faithful. Read the full story

As the senior squad prepares for a new season with a whirlwind tour of North America, the youngsters for whom Sir Alex Ferguson has such high hopes for are working hard at Carrington under reserve team coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Whether by choice or sheer necessity, Ferguson has made it clear on many occasions that the future success of Manchester United lies in a sophisticated youth system which has become the envy of the Premier League.
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