Gerard Pique says Manchester United teammate Patrice Evra will have "no problem" keeping quiet Barcelona star Lionel Messi in next week's Champions League semifinal.

"He was always special, ever since he arrived as a 14-year-old," said former Barca junior Pique. "You could see that he was very, very small, but now he is stronger.

Anderson says he is enjoying his defensive role at Manchester United.

He said: "I have played in many positions in Brazil and Portugal, as both a defensive midfielder and as a more attacking player.

"Now I play more defensively and I like the intensity of the football."

Michael Carrick is set to win a bumper new deal at Manchester United.

The Sun says Carrick, 26, was only two years into a four-year deal. But United have tied down the midfielder until 2012 and his weekly pay is set to rise from £50,000 to £70,000 a week.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has hailed his prolific strike-force as the title campaign draws to an end.

"One of the encouraging things is the goal difference is helping us," he said. "That's deserved because we've attacked all season and have put an attacking emphasis on our game.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson could have influential defender Nemanja Vidic back for the Blackburn match on Saturday.

The Serbia international has missed the last three games after suffering a knee injury against Roma in the Champions League.

Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick believes they're benefiting from not panicking when Arsenal were in pole position earlier this season.

He said: "When we were behind them in the league we were not looking too far ahead. We were just concentrating on getting a good run of games ourselves.

Wes Brown says Manchester United's current squad is better than the 1999 Treble winning group.

"I think squad-wise, we are stronger than in 1999. Players are coming back in. Gary Neville came back against Roma, as did Mikael Silvestre," he told setantasports.com.

Sir Alex Ferguson has issued a stark warning to Manchester United's title rivals by revealing his plans to strengthen in the summer. The Red Devils' impressive season has been put down, by some, to their strength and depth among the squad.

Rio Ferdinand hailed Manchester United's character after their victory over Arsenal yesterday. The result put United six points ahead of Chelsea, who play Wigan tomorrow, with Arsenal now surely out of the race a further three points back.

Manchester United ace Carlos Tevez has declared he intends to close his career at former club Boca Juniors.

He told the People: "I plan to stay four or five seasons in Manchester and then finish my career in Argentina wearing the Boca jersey. One thing I am clear on is that I will finish my career at the club I support.