Sport

Argentine Di Maria has been Dutch manager Louis van Gaal’s star player so far this season and his fitness will be crucial as United head into a potentially season-defining month

West Ham have not enjoyed their recent encounters with Man City, including a 9-0 thrashing on aggregate in the Capital One Cup in January as the team prepare to clash on Saturday.

Former Manchester United and England captain Rio Ferdinand expects to retire at the end of the season.

After a stuttering start to the season with just four league wins in their first ten games, the Phoenix now host the free-scoring Tigers, who average five goals a game so far this term

Oldham are League One’s in-form side, having gone unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions and Johnson and his team’s hard work and respect for their opponents have been vital in continuing this run

Michael Carrick is aiming to make his first Manchester United appearance of the season in the coming weeks after recovering from injury.

Bury face a difficult away fixture on Saturday at Southend United, having lost their last three on the road, and will not have been helped by the speculation surrounding one of their key men this week with news Nathan Cameron may be off

Wigan Warriors’ Matty Smith is set to make his international debut when England take on Samoa in the first of their Four Nations tests

Cipriani earned his first Test appearance since 2008 on the tour of New Zealand in the summer but has been overlooked by Lancaster and his coaching staff in their latest squad for fixtures against the All Blacks, South Africa, Samoa and Australia

Manchester City’s pleas for Uefa to take action against CSKA Moscow after a small section of fans watched their closed-door Champions League game have fallen on deaf ears, after the governing body decreed no rules had been broken.

Rochdale AFC manager Keith Hill has spoken of his side’s hunger for victories as a major factor in the team’s current success, despite not being one of the most high-profile League One outfits.