Rooney struck down with virus
Wayne Rooney has been ruled out of Manchester United's Premier League opener after contracting a virus on the club's pre-season tour of Africa. The 22-year-old, who is out of this Sunday's Community Shield, will probably miss United's first Premier League game of the season against Newcastle on August 17 and looks unlikely to be in the England line-up in the friendly with the Czech Republic at Wembley on August 20. Up to nine United stars could miss the August 17 kick-off, writes Henry Winter in the Daily Telegraph. '"I don't know whether we will have a team ready,'' Ferguson added of the Newcastle game. "Nani is suspended, Anderson is at the Olympic Games."' (Daily Telegraph)
"It's a virus he's picked up [on tour] in Nigeria, and it's not a nice one. We've done all the investigation. We've got our own laboratory now. It wasn't malaria. I doubt we'll get Rooney for the start of the season.''
Sir Alex Ferguson mulls over Wayne Rooney's mysterious virus, which he picked up while on tour in Africa
Fergie: ‘It’s all over’ for Ronaldo
Meanwhile a bullish Sir Alex Ferguson has insisted that Cristiano Ronaldo will be with Manchester United this season. The United manager claimed last night at Real Madrid's number one target was staying put at Old Trafford. "He's a Manchester United player,'' said Ferguson. "It's finished. He's here. He's going to play here next season. It's all over.'' Fergie's confidence was no doubt boosted by a statement from Real's president Ramon Calderon, who yesterday introduced the Dutch attacker Rafael van der Vaart as Madrid's "first and certainly only signing'' of the summer. (Daily Telegraph, the Sun)
Hammers spurn Spurs over Ashton
West Ham have rejected Tottenham's £15m offer for Dean Ashton, insisting the striker is not for sale. Spurs are keen to buy Ashton to replace Dimitar Berbatov - earmarked for a move to Manchester United - and may yet be prepared to up their offer to £20m... Meanwhile the Hammers' own bid for Louis Saha appears to have been halted after the United striker was hit by injury again... Portsmouth striker Nwankwo Kanu has signed a new one-year contract with FA Cup winners Portsmouth, spurning a number of US approaches... Everton are expected to complete the transfer of Andrew Johnson to Fulham today. Fulham will pay an initial fee of £5.5m for the England forward, rising to £13m based only on appearances...
Transfer Talk: all the comings and goings of the close season 
Tibet protesters arrested
Four protesters including two Britons have been arrested after they tried to hang giant pro-Tibet banners outside the Beijing Olympic Stadium, writes Paul Kelso in the Guardian. "The protesters, three men and one woman, climbed on to electricity poles on the bridge and unfurled Tibetan flags and banners declaring 'One World, One Dream: Free Tibet', 'Tibet will be free', and 'Free Tibet', written in English and Chinese. According to Sun Weide, a spokesman for the Beijing Olympic ceremony, the group were detained shortly after 5am after residents called the police." (Guardian)
Paula Radcliffe trapped by typhoon
Heavy rain and mist are playing havoc with Paula Radcliffe's last-ditch attempt to recoup her fitness in time for the Olympics, write Rick Broadbent and Jenny MacArthur in the Times. "After tales of emu oil, a broken femur and, most recently, a poisonous spider, the latest calamity to hit Paula Radcliffe is a No 8 storm that has left her trapped in the Team GB hotel. Radcliffe is not alone, as the adverse weather conditions in Macau and Hong Kong have also hit the three-day eventing team, but given every day's training is vital as she races against time to be ready for the marathon, she is among the worst affected."
(Times)
Beijing 2008: speedy analysis, strong comment, enduring photographs
Football kicks off the Olympics
Women's football will kick off at the 2008 Olympic Games on Wednesday with a two-day tournament before the opening ceremony, as beaten World Cup finalists Brazil look to exact revenge over world champions Germany in Beijing. Meanwhile the Chinese hosts are fighting an injury crisis, with key players Ma Xiaoxu and Qu Feifei looking unlikely to make the line-up. Athens 2004 gold medallists the US, for whom Olympics is a bigger deal than the World Cup, have also been blighted by injury problems. Team GB does not have a football side competing in either the female or male tournaments. (BBC)
Beijing 2008: speedy analysis, strong comment, enduring photographs
Transfer talk: The latest football transfer news and transfer rumours 
