Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs made his debut for the club in March 1991 and he will keep on going during the 2012-13 season. The 38-year-old Welshman has signed a one-year contract and that will will enable him to play a 22nd successive season at Old Trafford. No other player has donned the United shirt more than Giggsy -- 898 appearances -- and during that time, he has hauled winner's medals for 2 European Cups, 12 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups, 3 League Cups, 1 Super Cup, 1 Intercontinental Cup, and one FIFA Club World Cup. He is also the only player since the inception of the Premier League to have scored in every season since it's existence. Here is what Giggs had to say about his contract extension:

"When I signed my first contract, I never thought I’d be able to play at United for 22 years, but I feel good and I know I can still contribute to keeping the team pushing for honours. Winning the club’s 19th title was a great feeling but this club is all about what we do next and I’m really pleased I can be part of that."

- Giggs | Source: ManUtd.com

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had this to say about his legendary player:

"Ryan is a marvellous player. In many ways, he epitomises all my teams here at United: he has constantly re-invented himself, adapted to the changing nature of the game and retained that desire and hunger for success. In every training session and match, he is the example for others to follow. The young players in the dressing room have a great chance to learn from a player who will continue to break records that anyone in the game will find hard to beat."

- Ferguson | Source: ManUtd.com

Fergie also had this to say earlier in the week in regards to Giggs deserving a new deal -- I think the Gaffer is also advocating for us all to do yoga...:

"I think it's a miracle. His form this season has been the same as the last five or six years, to be honest with you. His fitness is incredible. He's unique. When he started doing yoga, that helped him alleviate the problems he had with his hamstring and the spasms that were related to his back. When he started taking yoga, all that disappeared."

- Ferguson | Source: MUTV

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I think I share the same sentiment as every Manchester United supporter when I state the obvious wish of hoping that Paul Pogba -- whose contract expires in the summer -- signs a new contract to stay at Old Trafford. We don't want this to be another Ravel Morrision situation. In Pogba's situation though, he doesn't have the legal baggage of Morrison and it appears that the work of agents has complicated the process of getting his contract extended at United. There have also been rumblings that Pogba may desire more first-team opportunity for the current season.

One thing that Pogba shares with Morrison is their undeniable talent. The Frenchman has been compared to Patrick Viera -- perhaps though because of his nationality and the color of his skin. Pogba exhibits comparable athleticism to Viera and shows hints of having similar bite in midfield but the youngster also displays fantastic technical ability and attacking prowess. The 18-year-old is scouted to be more of a box-to-box type player and during his Premier League debut last night when he came on as a substitute, he was deployed as the most advanced player in a midfield trio. Although the match versus Stoke City had essentially been decided when Pogba came on, he still was able to showcase his talents and provide a glimpse of his promise to the Old Trafford faithful.

Just as United supporters are, manager Sir Alex Ferguson is keen on extending the contract of Pogba. Here is what the United boss told the BBC in regards to this situation:

"Pogba did very well. The boy has great talent and tremendous physique for an 18-year-old. You can't believe it. We are negotiating his contract at the moment. It is a bit complicated at the moment because he has changed his agent a couple of times. But the boy wants to stay, that is obvious. Hopefully we can get it done soon."

Source: BBC

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It's been a busy day of news at Old Trafford with Manchester United's match versus Stoke City occurring, the news of Ravel Morrison moving to West Ham United, the news of Freddie Veseli's signing, and also the injury and illness to goalkeepers Anders Lindegaard and David de Gea, respectively. Perhaps lost in this flurry of news is that the legendary Ryan Giggs is hopeful that he can return again for next season. Here is what the 38-year-old recently told Inside United when asked if what he seeks is to play beyond this season:

"Yeah, it is at the moment. We'll sit down pretty soon and see what we want to do but, at the moment, I feel good and I want to carry on."

He was further asked if he was willing to play into his forties:

"Now that one's a question! You can't see it but we'll see. When that changes [having a big influence on the pitch], then that's when I'll want to stop. But I feel like I'm still an influence on and off the pitch so I'll carry on."

Here is what manager Sir Alex Ferguson had to say when asked if he's hoping the Welsh wizard will return for another season:

"We certainly hope so, yes. There has been no discernable detrioration in his play whatsoever and, in that sense, why shouldn't he stay on another year? Obviously, it's entirely up to Ryan himself but I don't see any reason why he can't continue."

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The Daily Mail has a story on the contact negotiations of Danny Welbeck. According to the article, Welbeck, who is currantly earning £15,000 a week, is being offered £40,000 a week by the club. This, up untill recently seemed agreeable from Welbeck's side, however the club has now been taken back by the players demand of £60,000 a week.

United are keen to reward the England striker, who earns £15,000 per week, with a new deal. Sportsmail exclusively revealed last year how Welbeck had begun negotiating with the club over a treble-your-money contract worth £45,000-£50,000 a week.

But the player and his advisers are now asking for £60,000 a week, which has left United officials astonished.

Obviously, contract negotiations with young players have been in the news recently. Both Ravel Morrison & Paul Pogba have earnt less than flattering headlines with their demands. However Welbeck, unlike the other two has established himself as a regular starter in the United frontline, ahead of Dimitar Berbatov and even Javier Hernandez (Chicarito).

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It was an incredible sight to see Manchester United go up 3-nil in the 1st half at the Etihad Stadium, especially against a Manchester City side that came to Old Trafford three months ago and left with a 6-1 victory scalp. Perhaps the more incredible sight though was seeing the legendary Paul Scholes come on during the 59th minute as a substitute -- it was only an hour prior to the match when it was announced that Scholesy had come out of retirement and would go straight to the bench for the FA Cup derby. As for his reason to come back, it sounds as if it was simply for the love of the game:

"I’ve been pretty clear since I stopped playing that I miss it. I’m delighted the manager feels I can still make a contribution to the team and I’m looking forward to playing my part in trying to bring more success to this great club."

Source: ManUtd.com

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson appears delighted by Scholes' return as well:

"It’s fantastic that Paul has made this decision. It’s always sad to see great players end their careers, but especially so when they do it early.But he has kept himself in great shape and I always felt that he had another season in him. It’s terrific to have him back."

What role will the 37-year-old midfield maestro play this season for the only club he's ever known? There's been a gradual evolution to the role that Scholes has played at United in the past decade or so. During the past week, I was watching footage of United's 3-0 defeat of Millwall during the 2004 FA Cup final -- the last time United won the competition. At that time, Scholes played a role in attack that was in support of lead striker Ruud van Nilstelrooy -- he was the creative force in attack through the center and in this particular match, he was complimented well by having Roy Keane providing steel and Darren Fletcher providing energy in the center of the park. In the latter stages of his career, Scholes' positioning on the pitch had receded as he sat in front of his defense as a deep-lying playmaker, but his influence certainly didn't as he still found ways to command the midfield zone.

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According to Tom Cleverley on his Twitter account, the Manchester United midfielder is hopeful to begin training again within three weeks. Here is the tweet that specifically outlined a hopeful timeline for his return:

"Finally some good news. Plan to b outside running in 2 weeks and training the week after that. Cnt wait to b back!"

Those 140 characters can certainly be limiting, especially to spelling and grammar. Anyway...

The 22-year-old was off to a spectacular start this season and his performances even earned him a call-up to the England squad. After spending the past three seasons on loan to Leicester City, Watford, and Wigan Athletic, it was clearly evident at the season's beginning that Cleverley was ready to contribute to United's squad. Central-midfield is arguably the weakest position at the club (okay, it IS the weakest position) and Cleverley was the stand-out performer in the center of the park up until his injuries this season -- he was last seen in action against Everton in late October before coming off due to injury.

Injury, depth, and questions of enough quality have been an obvious concern for United. Cleverley's return, assuming he doesn't have any setbacks, will provide remedy to each of these issues. This timeline he has set for himself would have him running by roughly January 20 and training by January 27 -- it's difficult to assess when he could be fit to feature. It would be interesting to see how Cleverley would compliment Michael Carrick in central-midfield. While the latter can hold things steady in the back with his intelligent positioning defensively and tidy distribution, the former may be free to use his energy, drive, and incisive passing further up in attack. We've already seen how well a Cleverley partnership with an in-form Anderson (whose form obviously fluctuates quite a bit) can work.

There's no doubt that manager Sir Alex Ferguson desires a recovery as soon as possible -- the United boss rates Cleverley very highly:

"He, to my mind, is probably the best midfield player in Britain, potentially."

As David De Gea flapped at another cross on Saturday, questions again were raised whether the man deemed Manchester United's number two, Anders Lindegaard, should be the man between the posts instead of "picking his nose" as he puts it. Has the time come for the young goalkeeper from Madrid to be dropped?

Sir Alex Ferguson has several things he needs to weigh up I think. The obvious one is who is the better keeper. But other things I think he has to keep in mind is the age of De Gea and the Spaniards development, the two are obviously linked, as well as our current injury problems, the competition (e.g Europa or Premier League) and the opposition.

Lets start with the two keepers. De Gea has proven himself to be an excellant shot stopper. Especially from close range when he has to rely on his reflexes and instincts. He has very good athletic ability which enables him to get to shots others can not. Prehaps what lets him down though is his physique. He is very slight, and that allows him to be hassled when coming to claim high balls. His mentality too has come in to question. When coming for the crosses he doesn't seem to want to put himself in harms way. Against Blackburn on Saturday, he was far too tentative in coming for the corner that led to their third goal. He should be clearing players out to claim or punch the ball.

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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that the club will extend the contract of Dimitar Berbatov. The Bulgarian striker's contract was set to end at this season's end but United will exercise their option to extend that contract until the end of the 2012-13 season. The move is hardly unexpected and not very much should be read into the move. If Berbatov is to be sold -- the latest rumor involves Bayer Leverkusen -- this simply gives United a bit more leverage in negotiations. If a club knows that Berbatov's contract ends in six months, they simply could wait to snatch up Berbatov on a free transfer in the upcoming summer -- or use that leverage to buy him on the cheap. However, if a buying club is forced to wait 18 months for his contract to end, then United could use that leverage to extract a higher transfer fee. There is also the possibility that Fergie would like to keep him around so that he has adequate depth at striker -- this past week's 4 goal explosion by Berbatov shows that he still has tremendous quality and that he is quite useful for squad rotation. However, there are certainly many who feel that his talent is being wasted at United by not featuring regularly. The club already features talisman Wayne Rooney at striker along with youngsters Javier Hernandez (Chicharito) and Danny Welbeck -- all of whom are higher up on the pecking order at the current moment. Here is what Fergie had to say about Berbatov:

"We'll be exercising (the option to renew],I think it kicks in in March."

Source: ManUtd.com