Man Utd board warming to Inter Milan boss Mourinho

Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho's character is growing on the decision-makers at Manchester United.

The Daily Mail says those closest to the former Chelsea manager insist he is far from content in Italy.

That, given half a chance, he would be back here in a flash. While nothing is ever straight-forward with the self-anointed Special One, his most likely suitors at Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool might just want to consider how they would respond should he suddenly become available.

At United they see changes in Mourinho. They see a more mature manager with more humility after his experiences at Chelsea and Inter, and they see someone who was utterly charming when he came to Old Trafford last season for the first knock-out stage of the Champions League.

They also see him as someone chief executive David Gill could work with.

Man Utd legend Cole: Man City making all the right noises

Manchester United legend Andy Cole says Manchester City are heading in the right direction under Sheikh Mansour.

Cole, in his column for the National in Abu Dhabi, is convinced City are getting the important decisions right.

He wrote: “The step up from where City have been placed in recent years is massive.

“The top four is such a hard group of teams to break into yet they have already beaten Arsenal, the team playing the best football in England at the moment. And while City have dropped points by drawing, they have only lost one of their 11 league games this season

“City are sixth in the table, with a game in hand on most of the teams above them. They were 13th this time last season. The club have undergone a big change and there have been a lot of player movements, but City are moving forward in the right direction.

“I see that every week when I watch my son play for City’s Under 15s. The club’s new resources are not just being lavished on first-team players, but on the infrastructure. There were bound to be some growing pains, because City have gone from a club who went for the second tier of players and now they go for the first.

“When I played there, the big signing was the Greek striker Georgios Samaras for £6million (Dh30m). With respect to him, now City sign world-class players."

Man Utd's Fletcher: Beating Chelsea important psychologically

Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher admits they would gain a mental edge on Chelsea if they can win in London this weekend.

United are trailing behind Premiership leaders Chelsea in the current standings.

"There's a long way to go yet in the title race, but Sunday's game could be important psychologically," he told MUTV. "We'll just concentrate on ourselves - we know we're capable of going there and winning. It won't be easy, but we'll go there with a game plan and the manager will have a lot of options for the side he wants to pick and we'll try and get a result."

After years of duking it out for top honours at home and abroad, United and Chelsea have few secrets. Nevertheless, Fletcher insists the reigning champions are capable of inflicting a rare home defeat on the Blues.

"They're a top side," he said. "We've both been challenging for the title over the last five or six years and there's great respect between the two sides. We know what to expect, it'll be a great challenge for us at Stamford Bridge. They've got a great record there, but it's up to us to go there and try and get the win."

News in Brief Manchester United

A review of the news from around the grounds of each Barclays Premier League club.

Striker Michael Owen scored his third goal of the season in the Carling Cup victory against Barnsley but remains bewildered by what some people expect of him. Owen found the target in the 59th minute of the 2-0 win with a clinical finish at Oakwell following a ball from Fabio. Danny Welbeck had earlier put United in the driving seat after five minutes when he headed home a corner from Anderson. "A start and a goal, you can't ask for more than that. It is how people judge me unfortunately," said Owen. "I started a game against Bolton and was pretty pleased and thought I played pretty well. Then I looked at the papers and was given a three or four. But in this game I played pretty average and scored a goal and I'll probably get seven out of 10. I think I deserved a five in this game and seven or eight from the Bolton game."

Man Utd boss Ferguson can't believe criticism of Bolton's Megson

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson can't believe the criticism Bolton counterpart Gary Megson has received.

Although a close friend of Sam Allardyce, who left such an imprint on Bolton, Ferguson knows what a big job Megson took on when he succeeded Sammy Lee - and he just cannot understand why the Bolton faithful keep giving him so much stick.

"Gary Megson has had criticism, which beggars belief," said Ferguson.

"Bolton are a better team than people give them credit for.

"They have always been a determined side. But when Sam was there he elevated them to a higher level. When he left, he was a big man to replace.

"But Megson has kept them up. They are physical and determined - and they never give in."

Man Utd targets Rui Patricio, Hulk boast new buyout clauses

Sporting Lisbon are among Portuguese clubs to include new buyout clauses in their stars players' contracts.

Futebol Finance says Manchester United target Rui Patricio, the Sporting goalkeeper, is one such player. Sporting recently inserted a £16 million buyout clause in his deal.

Another player to have been linked with United, Porto centre-forward Hulk, can be signed for a staggering €100 million.

Agent reveals Man Utd want Wolfsburg's Dzeko

Italian agent Silvano Martina has revealed Manchester United are chasing Wolfsburg ace Edin Dzeko.

Martina is close to the Dzeko family and told Tuttosport: "Dzeko is like a golden child. He transforms himself on the pitch. He has world class qualities and the hunger of a real striker.

"It's not a secret that he is aiming for a big club. An Italian side would be good for him, but I think there is something with Manchester United.

"Could he play for Juventus? Absolutely, but I didn't speak with him or his father about that."

Goal hero ! Michael Carrick was upset for Michael Owen.

Manchester United goal hero Michael Carrick was upset for Michael Owen after he broke down in yesterday's 2-1 win over Wolfsburg.

“It's not ideal for Michael but hopefully he won't be out for long and he'll be back scoring goals sooner rather than later,” said Carrick, whose team have now won eight matches in a row in all competitions after their defeat by Burnley in August.

“He's had some bad luck and it's not easy for him but I'm sure he'll be back playing well.”