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Mid-Day Ticker: Rooney fit for this weekend, Hodgson praised and more

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By AVI CREDITOR

Wayne Rooney's injury situation has fluctuated like a stock market gone crazy, but after he was recently ruled out for the remainder of the Premier League campaign comes word that Rooney (and teammate Rio Ferdinand) may be fit for this weekend's clash at Sunderland.

Rooney, who outlasted Didier Drogba and Carlos Tevez to win the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award, could yet make a final impact on the Premier League title chase.

Manchester United trails Chelsea by one point with two matches to play. Should Chelsea win its final two games, Rooney's return would be moot, but a slip-up by the Blues at Anfield this weekend would give Rooney the chance to guide his team back to the top of the table with a win at the Stadium of Light.

The Red Devils host Stoke City, and Chelsea hosts Wigan Athletic in the league's final week of play.

Here are a few more Premier League stories to help get you to the weekend:

HODGSON LAUDED BY PREMIER LEAGUE MANAGERS

After another stunning chapter was added to Fulham's Europa League run, several Premier League managers have voiced their unofficial nomination of Roy Hodgson for the league's Manager of the Year award.

The likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Harry Redknapp, Mick McCarthy and Roberto Martinez heaped praise on Hodgson for keeping his team mid-table while going through the Europa League gauntlet, according to the BBC.

The award, voted on by the League Managers Association, will be presented to the winner on May 10.

O'NEILL FURIOUS AT CITY GOALKEEPER LOAN

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has voiced his displeasure about the Premier League's decision to allow Manchester City to sign goalkeeper Marton Fulop on emergency loan ahead of their key match this weekend.

City, whose No. 1 keeper Shay Given was seriously injured against Arsenal last weekend, only had the injured Stuart Taylor and inexperienced Gunnar Nielsen in reserve. The team owns the rights to Birmingham's Joe Hart, but the terms of his loan deal prevented him from being called back to his parent club. 

Fulop, who was with Sunderland, has had 20 caps with the Hungarian national team, while Nielsen is a Faroe Islands international with less overall experience.

Villa, City and Tottenham are in a three-horse race for the league's final Champions League spot, and City will play both teams at Eastlands in a four-day period starting with the clash with Villa on Saturday.

NEVILLE SIGNS ON FOR ANOTHER YEAR

Manchester United captain Gary Neville has answered all questions about potentially retiring by signing a one-year extension with the Red Devils.

Neville, 35, is fifth on the club's all-time appearance list, and will remain at Old Trafford at least through next summer.

SPURS' MODRIC STAYING PUT

Harry Redknapp has squashed all talk of Croatian midfielder Luka Modric being transferred this summer, according to The Independent.

The 24-year-old Modric, who has been linked to a potential move to Manchester United, has been an integral part of Tottenham's midfield as the team chases a Champions League berth.

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Happy that Rooney may potentially return? Do you think he's rushing back too quickly? Who gets your vote for Premier League Manager of the Year? Think Manchester City should have been allowed to sign another goalkeeper?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I’m sure if Fergie got a few good performances out of Rooney that lead him to a league title…and Rooney ended up unfit for the WC, he wouldn’t give a rat’s a**. That’s Fergie style.

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  2. Why the hostility toward Fabio? FC did not tell those guys to do dumb things. Those guys have serious issues. Somebody got up on the wrong side on the bed this morning.

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  3. I believe “My bad.” is an incomplete sentence. It does not have the necessary components to make it a complete sentence.

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  4. As a United fan, while I certainly think Chelsea will be deserving if they win the title, if United somehow pulls off another title, this would be one of the most satisfying ones for me I think. If Chelsea really does piss this away, it will be hilarious. In all honesty they should have far and away won the title weeks ago, but they keep choking. Even more wonderful though, would be if they pounded Liverpool, and then tied Wigan at home to lose the title (and United wins both games obviously). I would probably die of happiness…

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  5. You think Wes Brown will leave? You do realize they’ve been playing on the same team their entire careers (of course Neville played longer before Brown came around), so why do you think Brown would suddenly leave during Neville’s last season? No way Brown leaves United, at least not for the above reason…

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  6. Another 7-nil to Chelsea at Anfield, ManU draw with Sunderland after the door the cryogenic chamber where they store Giggs and Scholes between matches gets stuck and it’s all over.

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  7. forgive me. while racking my brain to conceive of some way that Liverpool might salvage a tie, i forgot one of the basic principles of scorekeeping. my bad.

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  8. Oh, Sh!7..THat’s right.

    “After the Rain,” not Mmm-Bop.

    Anyway, still crappy pop, and Gunnar is probably a better GK than musician.

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  9. Was there any precedence for FA/EPL awarding a team the opportunity, due to injury, to sign a player on a emergency transfer previously?

    Also, I think it’s been asked or perhaps not but: what about their Academy GK’s?

    This is in no way an outrage to me just wondering for more clarification, for those that are more knowledgeable/educated than I on the topic.

    Thanks in advance!

    Reply
  10. here’s hoping for a 0-0 draw at Anfield, a draw dominated by the London team, which peppers the home team with 15 shots on goal, all of which manage to hit the crossbar.

    Reply

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