David Beckham & Ashley Young In Agreement

Manchester United's legendary former right midfielder David Beckham and the clubs new £16 million signing Ashley Young are in agreement; the team at Old Trafford are the best team in Manchester, with the greatest history.

David Beckham, currently at LA Galaxy, spoke about his old clubs rivals and how they have been growing over the past few years into a team who will begin to challenge United. Of course, he acknowledged the progress they have made, and said that although they may be a threat next season and in years to come, they will never "be" Manchester United.

The 26 year-old had many happy years at United, winning six Premier League titles, a Champions League trophy and two FA Cups in 399 appearances. He never wanted to leave the club that had supported him through the good times and bad times in his career, and who brought him so much success, and he clearly still hold the club dear to his heart. He said of City:

"They're bringing good players in, they've got strong people with a lot of money behind them, so they're going to improve." 

"But they'll never be Manchester United. They might be a threat this season but United have got the history, the silverware over the last 20 years. There's only one team in Manchester but City I'm sure will be a team to look at going forward."

Likewise, United's new signing Ashley Young is equally enthusiastic about the club, and claims it was a "no-brainer" when he heard of their interest in him. He was not in a position to turn down one of the biggest clubs in the world, and the former Aston Villa winger is now looking forward to adding to United's marvellous history:

"There was never any doubt once I knew United were interested. When one of the biggest clubs in the world comes after you, whether to sign for them or not is a no-brainer. I was delighted to hear about their interest. I just wanted to get my signature on the paper."

"I have confidence in my own ability. I always said I wanted to play at the highest level. Manchester United is that. This move gives me the opportunity to play in the Champions League and go for a 20th title. That just says it all."

"The history of the club is fantastic and I am delighted to be part of it."

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UEFA reaches agreement on TV rights

UEFA has agreed to adopt centralised marketing of television rights for the Euro and World Cup qualifiers in a financial boost for Europe's smaller federations.



UEFA president Michel Platini announced that all 53 UEFA members had agreed to the new system.



“This project is your project and I am delighted to officially announce that, as of today, everyone, without exception, is on board.” Platini told delegates.



“We have received the signatures of all 53 national associations,” added the Frenchman, who was due to be elected unopposed for a another four-year term later on Tuesday.



Under the current system, to be replaced for the Euro 2016 qualifiers, individual federations negotiate television rights for their home games.



“You will all be able to concentrate on the football, without having to worry what the draws might throw up and whether their outcome will be favourable - or not - in terms of TV rights,” Platini told delegates.



“I would like to thank those national associations who have believed in it from the start and had the conviction to persuade us to follow them down this path.”



Platini also said he had resisted pressure to restrict the Champions League to Europe's elite clubs and that international football would be his priority for the next four years.



“The universality of our competitions has been maintained and even reinforced, despite ever greater pressure to close the ranks of the elite and exclude the less dominant among you,” he said.



“We must now do our utmost to raise the status of the national team competitions. We have a duty to restore them to their rightful place.”



Platini emphasised the importance of his Financial Fair Play programme which will exclude clubs from the Champions League if their generated revenue is less than their expenditure.



“Allow me to remind you of just one figure: together, Europe's professional clubs accumulated net losses of 1.2 billion euros ($1.71 billion) in 2009 alone,” he said.



“There is a huge amount of money in football, but more importantly there is a moral problem in the way this money is sometimes generated and used



“Financial fair play is a crucial project that will enable us to clean up certain practices within our game.”



He then appealed for government help to fight hooliganism and deal with match-fixing.



“I have started meeting the heads of state and government of countries particularly affected by this problem,” he said.



“It is important that their countries realise the seriousness of the situation and that they find a way to help us, you and their national associations.”



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