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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/sport/2006/08/23/sfnman23.xml
Owen Hargreaves is ready to ignore Bayern Munich's "keep quiet" ultimatum and publicly ask for a move to Manchester United today.
Bayern have threatened to lodge a complaint to Fifa about an illegal approach for the England international if United continue to chase the player. But Hargreaves has set the pace for what he hopes will be a £17 million move to Old Trafford and his advisers have arranged a press briefing for the German media in Munich today at which the midfielder is expected to announce a transfer request.
The Bundesliga champions have maintained that Hargreaves is not for sale. General manager Uli Hoeness, who warned the player to keep his mouth shut earlier this week, said: "United can ask 50 times, but 50 times we will say 'no'." This has not deterred United and neither has the fact that Hargreaves has four years left to run on his Bayern contract.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the Munich president, has attempted to scare off United by threatening to report them to Fifa. "We have told Manchester United to drop their interest or we will have to turn to Fifa," he said. ''A club can only contact a player when the club, who own the player's registration, are in agreement. We are not Hamburg, who let Khalid Boulahrouz go [to Chelsea] at the first sign he wants out. We are FC Bayern and we don't just let anybody go. The employer decides here, not the employee."
United, without the suspended Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes, will be aiming to register their second Premiership win of the season in Iain Dowie's home debut as Charlton manager.
Dowie had mixed feelings about the absence of the two United forwards. ''Anytime Rooney and Scholes are missing you're always delighted but at the same time it's disappointing in some ways because we're in an entertainment sport and people want to be entertained," he said.
During his 15 years in charge, Alan Curbishley never tasted victory against United and Dowie called tonight's game "the ultimate test". He added: "United are the best team the Premiership's had since it's been going."
Dowie, who was at Old Trafford on Sunday to see United's 5-1 demolition of Fulham, said: "Sir Alex [Ferguson] is a benchmark for everyone and during the time he's been at the club he has always had the core value of playing attacking football. "He's still got that same passion. When I speak to Rio Ferdinand and other players, they really have a lot of admiration for him as a person as well as a manager. He has a real affinity with the players. ''People think he doesn't, but players do really like to play for him. He's strong, he demands certain standards -and that's what I'm all about. If you can't learn from the best - and he is the best - there's something wrong."
Cristiano Ronaldo can expect to be booed as the Portugal winger plays his first away game since the World Cup quarter-final against England when he appeared to urge the referee to send off Rooney. "He knows what's coming and he'll thrive on it," United midfielder John O'Shea said. "Our players always seem to be targeted for certain things, but it just spurs them on."
Owen Hargreaves is ready to ignore Bayern Munich's "keep quiet" ultimatum and publicly ask for a move to Manchester United today.
Bayern have threatened to lodge a complaint to Fifa about an illegal approach for the England international if United continue to chase the player. But Hargreaves has set the pace for what he hopes will be a £17 million move to Old Trafford and his advisers have arranged a press briefing for the German media in Munich today at which the midfielder is expected to announce a transfer request.
The Bundesliga champions have maintained that Hargreaves is not for sale. General manager Uli Hoeness, who warned the player to keep his mouth shut earlier this week, said: "United can ask 50 times, but 50 times we will say 'no'." This has not deterred United and neither has the fact that Hargreaves has four years left to run on his Bayern contract.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the Munich president, has attempted to scare off United by threatening to report them to Fifa. "We have told Manchester United to drop their interest or we will have to turn to Fifa," he said. ''A club can only contact a player when the club, who own the player's registration, are in agreement. We are not Hamburg, who let Khalid Boulahrouz go [to Chelsea] at the first sign he wants out. We are FC Bayern and we don't just let anybody go. The employer decides here, not the employee."
United, without the suspended Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes, will be aiming to register their second Premiership win of the season in Iain Dowie's home debut as Charlton manager.
Dowie had mixed feelings about the absence of the two United forwards. ''Anytime Rooney and Scholes are missing you're always delighted but at the same time it's disappointing in some ways because we're in an entertainment sport and people want to be entertained," he said.
During his 15 years in charge, Alan Curbishley never tasted victory against United and Dowie called tonight's game "the ultimate test". He added: "United are the best team the Premiership's had since it's been going."
Dowie, who was at Old Trafford on Sunday to see United's 5-1 demolition of Fulham, said: "Sir Alex [Ferguson] is a benchmark for everyone and during the time he's been at the club he has always had the core value of playing attacking football. "He's still got that same passion. When I speak to Rio Ferdinand and other players, they really have a lot of admiration for him as a person as well as a manager. He has a real affinity with the players. ''People think he doesn't, but players do really like to play for him. He's strong, he demands certain standards -and that's what I'm all about. If you can't learn from the best - and he is the best - there's something wrong."
Cristiano Ronaldo can expect to be booed as the Portugal winger plays his first away game since the World Cup quarter-final against England when he appeared to urge the referee to send off Rooney. "He knows what's coming and he'll thrive on it," United midfielder John O'Shea said. "Our players always seem to be targeted for certain things, but it just spurs them on."