I was close to West Ham move but Everton can fight for Europe, insists new boy Traore

Lacina Traore believes Everton can finish in a European position after snubbing West Ham for a move to Goodison Park.
The Monaco striker was on the verge of linking up with Sam Allardyce's side on loan but chose a temporary switch to Merseyside after hearing of the Toffees' interest.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Traore said: 'When Monaco said I was going out on loan, I didn't know where. But when I found out it was Everton in the Premier League, I was very happy.
Scroll down to see Traore on why playing for Everton is a 'dream come true'

Fresh start: Lacina Traore shows off his new shirt with Everton boss Roberto Martinez

Chelsea's conveyor belt of loan goals... 85 and counting at other clubs this season (but how would this team get on in the Premier League?)

When young striker Patrick Bamford continued his scoring streak for new loan club Derby on Tuesday night, he added another statistic to Chelsea’s incredible loaning system.
With the Blues having enough players ply their trade elsewhere to fill a whole squad, Bamford netted the 85th goal scored by a Chelsea loanee this season.
Europe is littered with young (and not-so-young) players on the Blues’ books, all hoping to make their parent club aware of their talents.

On target: Patrick Bamford has scored two goals in three appearances since joining Derby in the New year

Hitman: Bamford scored 17 goals in 27 appearances for the MK Dons in the first half of the season

Making his mark: Bamford is expected to return to Chelsea this summer after his Championship experience with Derby

THE FULL LIST

GOALKEEPERS
Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid)
Matej Delac (FK Sarajevo)

DEFENDERS
Patrick van Aanholt (Vitesse)
Wallace (Inter Milan)
Nathaniel Chalobah (Middlesbrough)
Todd Kane (Blackburn)
Kenneth Omeruo (Middlesbrough)
Ryan Bertrand (Aston Villa)

MIDFIELDERS
Oriol Romeu (Valencia)
Marko Marin (Sevilla)
Christian Atsu (Vitesse)
Bertrand Traore (Vitesse)
Cristian Cuevas (Vitesse)
Ulises Davila (Cordoba)
Thorgan Hazard (Zulte Waregem)
George Saville (Brentford)
Josh McEachran (Wigan)

FORWARDS
Victor Moses (Liverpool)
Romelu Lukaku (Everton)
Lucas Piazon (Vitesse)
Milan Lalkovic (Walsall)
Patrick Bamford (Derby)
Jhon Pirez (Leganes)
Stipe Perica (NAC Breda)
Joao Rodríguez (Uniautonoma)

The highest-profile of them are already elite talents in the world’s best leagues, like highly-rated Atletico Madrid keeper Thibaut Courtois or Everton target man Romelu Lukaku.
Others, like youngsters Bamford and Nathaniel Chalobah, are hoping their exploits in the Championship get them noticed to play a role at Stamford Bridge next season.
Then you’ve got the likes of Marko Marin and Victor Moses, those surplus to requirements the club couldn’t get shot of.
It might seem mad, but there’s all a plan. What’s been better for Courtois – sitting on the bench behind Petr Cech for three years or becoming one of Europe’s top keepers at Atletico? 
Or Lukaku – vying for playing time with Fernando Torres and Samuel Eto’o or being Champions League-chasing Everton’s main man?
Bamford scored goals for fun in League One for MK Dons, now he’s doing the same in the second tier. At Chelsea, he’d have been playing reserve team football, maybe chucked a 90th-minute cameo in the Capital One Cup.
Add to that those playing together at Dutch feeder club Vitesse, and the benefit – for most of them at least – is clear. 
It works the other way, too. Gael Kakuta, once seen as one of the brightest talents in Europe, has just returned to Chelsea after another unsuccessful spell – this time with Vitesse.

He's a keeper: Thibaut Courtois has been in fine form in Spain and Atletico Madrid want to turn his loan move into a permanent deal

The Blues can’t afford to risk trying these green players out in crucial Champions League and Premier League games, and it’s much better for them to experience pressure at side challenging for honours than rotting in the reserves.
Here, Sportsmail picks the a dream team of Chelsea loan stars .

 

Loan rangers: How would this side get on in the Premier League?

GOALKEEPER

Thibaut Courtois
Touted as the best young stopper in the world, Courtois is one of Chelsea’s top assets and he’s never pulled on the shirt. Atletico Madrid are hell-bent on hanging on to someone who has become one of their leading stars since his loan move, and are preparing a £40million bid, while the Blues would like hitman Diego Costa in return. 

DEFENCE

Wallace 
The 19-year-old Brazilian turned out for the first-team in Chelsea’s pre-season tour of Asia, and was loaned to Inter Milan. The right-back has only made three substitute appearances this season for the Nerazzurri, but will take experience form being part of a huge set-up.
Nathaniel Chalobah 
The England U21 star was one of the best players in the Championship last season while being the fulcrum to Watford’s play-off chasing side, but couldn’t establish a place for Forest this campaign. Having now joined Middlesbrough, Chalobah – who can play at either centre half or defensive midfielder, will hope to reassert his status as the Blues’ brightest prospects.
Kenneth Omeruo 
Having been one of the mainstays of Nigeria’s squad in the Super Eagles’ African Nations Cup triumph last year, 20-year-old Omeruo has set his sights on the World Cup by joining fellow Blue Chalobah at Middlesbrough. The Teeside club have been making the most of manager Aitor Karanka’s links with Mourinho. 
Ryan Bertrand
One of the many, many surprising stories of Chelsea’s 2012 Champions League triumph was Bertrand making his European debut in the final against Bayern Munich. After going on loan to what seemed like the whole of the Football League, Bertrand never cemented a place ahead of Ashley Cole. Now third in the pecking order behind Cole and Cesar Azpilicueta, he’s gone to Villa Park for first-team football ahead of a likely departure from Stamford Bridge this summer.

Loan star: Middlesbrough's Nathaniel Chalobah enjoyed spells at Watford at Nottingham Forest

Done deal: Defender Ryan Bertrand is unveiled at Aston Villa's Bodymoor Heath training ground earlier this month

MIDFIELD

Victor Moses
Snapped up from Wigan by Roberto Di Matteo in 2012, the Nigeria winger had a steady first season at Stamford Bridge, particularly in the victorious Europa League campaign. Despite the hard-working former Crystal Palace star having the hallmarks of a ‘Mourinho player’, the arrivals of Andre Schurrle and Willian relegated him in the Blues’ plethora of midfield options. He went to Liverpool where he has also struggled to hold down a place. He’s almost certainly pulled on his last Chelsea shirt.

Young gun: Nigerian international Victor Moses has made 14 appearances for Liverpool this season

Oriol Romeu 
Tipped as the successor to Claude Makelele when he was plucked from Barcelona’s youth side in 2011 – with the Catalan giants retaining first refusal on the midfielder – a succession of injuries and manager hampered his chances of getting into the side. He’s now at Valencia but will have been dismayed at the Blues’ recent acquisition of Nemanja Matic.
Josh McEachran 
Once tipped as a future star for Chelsea and England, McEachran is in last-chance saloon with his loan move to Wigan. Having wowed in the club’s youth teams and early first-team appearances, McEachran’s loan moves at Swansea, Middlesbrough and Watford have been a disaster. 
Often hitting headlines for being out with Coronation Street actress girlfriend Brooke Vincent instead of matters on the pitch, McEachran is only 13 months younger than the Blues’ main man Oscar. Finally deliver on his huge potential at the DW Stadium and there might be one last shot.
Marko Marin
One of the only Chelsea players not to have benefitted from the Champions League win, Marin was signed before the Munich final before the Blues qualifying for the following seasons’ tournament attracted players of Eden Hazard’s quality. 
His infrequent starts in his sole season at Stamford Bridge did little to impress, and he was packed off to Sevilla. His performances in la Liga have improved greatly, but from Chelsea’s point of view they’re welcome to him.

STRIKERS

Romelu Lukaku 
The striker conundrum is one of the biggest debates at Chelsea, and Lukaku netting goals for Everton did little for people overlooking the profligacy of Fernando Torres, Samuel Eto’o and Demba Ba. Mourinho is insistent Lukaku’s departure was of his own making, but many a Blue-tinted spectacle has looked upon his displays away from his parent club with frustration.
Still raw, the young Belgian will have every hope of following in the footsteps of idol Didier Drogba and becoming Chelsea’s leading man – that’s if his relationship with the real leading man, Mourinho,  can be repaired.
Patrick Bamford
Plucked from Nottingham Forest in 2012 after an unbelievable scoring record at youth level, Bamford has lit up the Football League this season, scoring 14 in 23 for League One MK Dons and then surprising everyone by repeating the trick a level up, with three goals in four for Championship play-off hopefuls Derby. Keep it up, and there’s nothing to say he can’t be a Premier League striker.

JUST MISSING OUT

Lucas Piazon – He’s the Eredivisie’s top scorer with feeder club Vitesse, but the classy Brazilian just misses out due to Bamford’s scoring record in England.
Thorgan Hazard – Another player who has lit up a European league, Eden’s brother recently won the Swiss League’s Player of the Year award thanks to his spell at Zulte Waragem.
Bertrand Traore – Chelsea finally signed the talented midfielder this month, and have sent him straight to popular destination Vitesse. Starred in the Blues’ pre-season tour.
VERDICT
This 'Chelsea loan XI' would probably stay up in the Premier League.
The defence is a bit makeshift, but attacking midfielders like Victor Moses and Marko Marin are more than capable of playing in mid-table sides.
More than anything though, they would rely on Courtois to keep them in games, and Lukaku to win them.
With those two being among the most highly rated youngsters in Europe, they would carry the side.

PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: Taarabt signs on the dotted line at AC Milan as Moroccan gets ready to mix it with Mario and Co

Adel Taarabt has signed for AC Milan on loan from Championship side QPR and we've got the first picture of the Moroccan putting the seal on his sensational deal.
The attacking midfielder was at Fulham on a temporary basis but has joined up with the Serie A giants.
New boss Clarence Seedorf moved for Taarabt, pictured below with Milan's long-serving vice president Adriano Galliani, as he bids to resurrect the club.
 Scroll down to see Taarabt training with Fulham

Put it there: Adel Taarabt (with AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani) signs for AC Milan

New signing: Adel Taarabt has his medical in Milan ahead of his loan move

The ace at AC: Taarabt poses with an Milan scarf and looks pleased with his switch

Arrived and ready: Taarabt landed in Italy on Thursday morning ahead of his medical

Taarabt, 24, will join until the end of the season with a view to making his move permanent in the summer.
'I am honoured to be able to play at the best club in the world,' Taarabt told Milan Channel on Thursday morning.
'I have spoken with Seedorf and we are both happy. I am an attacker and I like to play behind the strikers.
'I do not know (Mario) Balotelli personally, but I know who he is and I am pleased to be able to play with him.'

New team: Taarabt will play under new Milan boss Clarence Seedorf and play alongside Mario Balotelli

From £50m Torres to £13m Arshavin... the most expensive deadline day signings (and there's no surprise some didn't work out!)

2014 certainly has a lot to live up to. In the past decade deadline day has given us all the thrills and spills that comes with a massive transfer free-for-all.
Nobody will forget January 31, 2011 when Fernando Torres, Andy Carroll, Luis Suarez and David Luiz were signed for a whopping £130million combined by Chelsea and Liverpool.
Here we have a look at the most expensive signings on deadline day every year in the January transfer window. And be warned, not all of them ended up a success!

£50million man: Fernando Torres was the most expensive signing on a wild January 31 in 2011

Jan 31, 2003: Jonathan Woodgate, Leeds to Newcastle, £9m
After five years in the Leeds first team where Woodgate showed that he had the potential to be an England defender, Bobby Robson's Newcastle splashed out £10million for the centre-back.
He only played a season and a half at St James' Park but caught the eye, leading Real Madrid to pile in with an offer in excess of £13million. Not a bad profit for 18 months work.

First of many: Jonathan Woodgate moved from Leeds to Newcastle in 2003 for £9million

Feb 2, 2004: Jermain Defoe, West Ham to Spurs, £7m + Bobby Zamora
He may now have secured a deal away from White Hart Lane, but back in 2004 Defoe was one of the hottest properties in England.
After refusing to sign a contract extension at West Ham, the striker left in January when Spurs offered money plus the (then) spiritely Bobby Zamora. Defoe went on to score well over 100 goals for Tottenham in two spells and could be considered one of the greatest winter signings of the Premier League era.

Worked out well: Jermain Defoe crossed the London divide by leaving West Ham and signing for Spurs

Jan 31, 2005: Nicolas Anelka, Manchester City to Fenerbahce, £7m

It is surprising, perhaps, that the man who has played for six different Premier League clubs (Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Bolton Chelsea and West Brom) is on the list for leaving the Premier League.

The lucrative move took him away from England for just 18 months before Bolton paid £8million to bring him back.

Turkey: Nicolas Anelka left the Premier League for a season when he went to Fenerbahce for £7million

Jan 31, 2006: Robert Earnshaw, West Brom to Norwich, £3.5m

An anomaly if ever there was one with Championship side Norwich paying the most for a player on deadline day. Earnshaw scored 27 goals for Norwich before joining Derby, where he notched just twice.

David Bentley's switch from Arsenal to Blackburn was thought to be worth around £3million during the same transfer window. He's back there again now, albeit on loan from Spurs (yes, they're still his parent club!).

£3.5million: Earnshaw chose to leave West Brom and move to Norwich in January 2006

Jan 31, 2007: Matthew Upson, Birmingham to West Ham, £6m

Upson always had potential to be a towering presence in any team and West Ham were quick to snap him up six months after Birmingham had been relegated to the Championship.

Despite having a £4million offer turned down, the Hammers eventually go their man. We should remember Upson ended up as half of England's centre-back pairing when they lost 4-1 to Germany in the 2010 World Cup. He scored England's only goal of the game, too.

Four-year spell: West Ham's manager at the time Alan Curbishley (left) and owner Eggert Magnusson (right) signed Matthew Upson in the January transfer window of 2007 for £6million

Jan 31, 2008: Afonso Alves, Heerenveen to Middlesbrough, £11m

Middlesbrough's interest in Alfonso Alves was very left field and his record after signing goes to prove their faith may have been misplaced.

The striker scored just 10 goals in 42 games and was shipped off to Qatar 18 months later. His eight caps for Brazil are just as astonishing as the £11million Middlesbrough forked out for him.

Underwhelming: Brazilian Alfonso Alves made the headlines with his deadline day move to Middlesbrough

Feb 2, 2009: Andrey Arshavin, Zenit to Arsenal, £13m

The Russian's foray into the Premier League began with a bang when he scored four goals in one game against Liverpool just months after joining.

Despite things not working out in the end (he spent several seasons warming the bench) he had that match-winning quality all big clubs look for.

It's worth remembering that in the same transfer window Robbie Keane moved back to Spurs after a horribly unsuccessful six months at Liverpool where he scored just the five times.

Gamble: Andre Arshavin came from Zenit St Petersburg to London for a fee of £13million

Feb 1, 2010: Adam Johnson, Middlesbrough to Man City, £7m

Blessed with as much talent as any English winger around today, it is surprising Adam Johnson's career has at times waned. Swamped by foreign players at City, Johnson played most of his 73 matches from the bench, and lost his place in the England set-up.

City did, however, make a profit when they sold him to Sunderland for £10million in the summer of 2012.

Winger: Adam Johnson didn't quite make the cut at City despite his £7million move

Jan 31, 2011: Fernando Torres, Liverpool to Chelsea, £50m

Chelsea's unthinkable late bid for Torres has almost single-handedly made the January transfer window what it is now. There was always hype, always suggestions that huge money would be splashed, but it wasn't until Roman Abramovich dug deep into his pockets that it went crazy.

It's worth mentioning the madness that ensued afterwards. Liverpool felt they needed a striker and raided Newcastle. They had already signed Luis Suarez for £23million and then spent £35million on Andy Carroll. The England forward may not have been worth the money, but Suarez has more than made up for it.

Not content on just paying £50million for Torres, Chelsea also bought David Luiz from Benfica for £21.3million. Lucky there was no UEFA Financial Fair Play back then.

Over-priced? Fernando Torres has never managed to transfer his Liverpool goals to the blue shirt of Chelsea

Double swoop: Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll both signed for Liverpool on deadline day

Jan 31, 2012: Kevin de Bruyne, Genk to Chelsea, £6.7m

After the madness of the year before, 2012 was a much quieter affair. De Bruyne signed for Chelsea but stayed in Belgium on a loan deal. He may have wished he stayed longer seeing as a falling out with Jose Mourinho this season has seen him sold to Wolfsburg.

Off again: Kevin de Bruyne only lasted two years on the books of Chelsea

Jan 31, 2013: Christopher Samba, Anzhi to QPR, £12.5m

What a year 2013 was for Chris Samba. He started at Anzhi Makhachkala, moved to QPR during January, was sold back to Anzhi for almost same price in the summer, and then moved on to Dynamo Moscow when Anzhi's owner changed his plans for the club.

His job was to keep QPR up, but not even a record fee for a defender already proven in the division could do that.

Big money: Chris Samba presented with a QPR shirt after his £12.5million move from Anzhi

LIVE: Deadline Day - follow all the news, pictures and final day moves as the transfer window prepares to slam shut

It could be your team's make or break point of the season - it is of course transfer deadline day and Sportsmail has it all covered.
Follow our live coverage as our team of reporters bring you the latest on every deal, helicopter dash, medical and hastily printed shirt as we bring you all the news as it happens on one of the biggest days of the campaign.
With plenty of teams still chasing players to boost a European push or fend off relegation, find out if your club is tempted into a last-minute trolley dash before the transfer window closes at 11pm.

Manchester United 2-0 Cardiff: Mata gets off to a flying start! Record £37m signing makes early impact on his Old Trafford debut

It took six minutes. Six minutes for Juan Mata to demonstrate his worth to Manchester United, six minutes for him to link, albeit circuitously, with Robin van Persie and conjure a goal at Old Trafford.
This being the David Moyes edition of the champions, however, it was not until close to an hour later that they could begin to feel safe against the Premier League’s  bottom club, thanks to a cracking goal by Ashley Young.
Even so, baby steps, baby steps. By the time Mata began tiring late in the game — the odd mistimed tackle here, a rare misplaced pass there, replaced by Adnan Januzaj after 85 minutes — few were in any doubt that they had seen the debut of a future United great. Mind you, they have been starved of the usual good news around here of late.
 Scroll down to see record signing Mata on his move to Manchester United

Star: Juan Mata made his debut for United in the 2-0 win over Cardiff at Old Trafford

Quick off the mark: Robin van Persie took just six minutes to put the hosts a goal to the good

Juan Mata runs out for first warm up as Man United player

Much-maligned: Ashley Young made it 2-0 with a long-range shot

Juan Mata: I hope number 8 brings me good luck for the season

Unhappy return: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was welcomed warmly on his return to Manchester, but failed to take any points back to Wales

MATCH FACTS

Click here for our brilliant Match Zone
Man Utd: De Gea 6, Rafael Da Silva 6, Smalling 6, Evans 7, Evra 7, Valencia 7, Jones 6, Giggs 6 (Cleverley 71, 6), Young 8, Mata 6 (Januzaj 85), Van Persie 7 (Rooney 63, 7). Subs not used: Lindegaard, Hernandez, Fletcher, Kagawa.
Goals: Van Persie 6, Young 59.
Manager: David Moyes 7
Cardiff: Marshall 6, McNaughton 5, Caulker 6, Hudson 6 (Turner 69, 6), John 5, Noone 6 (Daehli 78), Medel 7, Mutch 7 (Kim 52, 6), Whittingham 6, Campbell 6, Bellamy 7. Subs not used: Berget, Turner, Eikrem, Gunnarsson, Lewis.
Booked: Bellamy.
Referee: Craig Pawson.
Attendance: 75,301.

Ratings by IAN LADYMAN at Old Trafford

Mata was not brilliant but he was most definitely an upgrade, and better than expected, having played no football for close to a month. He needs to be in top gear by the time of the visit to Arsenal on February 12, but the pass which set up United’s first goal will earn him considerable credit in these parts.
Mata collected the ball from the defence, deeper than a conventional No 10, but immediately demonstrated a counter-attacking instinct that fits in perfectly with the ethos of his new club. A perfect crossfield pass to Patrice Evra and United were away.
Evra’s cross was headed against the bar by Luis Antonio Valencia and the ball ricocheted around the area as United scrambled to convert. Out it came and was followed up by Van Persie, whose effort was saved by David Marshall; out it came and it was followed up by Van Persie, whose header, second time, gave the goalkeeper no chance.
So it wasn’t an assist, or even the assist for an assist, but had Mata not applied his singular vision to the build-up, United would not have been able to play with a safety net for so long; and those little securities are important these days.

Promisng start: Mata showed a cool head on his first appearance for Manchester United

Pulling the strings: Mata unleashes a typically crisp pass as the Spaniard made his Old Trafford bow

This is a team with the jitters, but Mata is a cool customer and on the ball he did the simple things well. Another deep cross could have advanced the gap in the 19th minute but Young failed to get the necessary touch at the far post.

SUPER STAT

Ryan Giggs is now just 10 games shy of equalling Slavia Prague goalkeeper Frantisek Planicka’s European record of 969 appearaces for one club.

He is better from distance, it would seem. In the 59th minute, Young ensured Cardiff would end the night where they began with a goal that banished the memory of some insipid performances and dubious falls this season.
He received the ball on the left, cut inside, kept going with purpose and finally unleashed a shot across Marshall that flew in at the bottom corner from 25 yards.
It could have been three 15 minutes later, but Marshall tipped the ball on to the far post after Valencia tried to curl one past him from inside the penalty area. In injury time, first Januzaj and then Wayne Rooney went close.

Arm in arm: Cardiff City manager Solskjaer with Wayne Rooney at the end of the game

Dutch treat: Van Persie (right) nets the opener with this precision header

Letting fly: Young unleashes an unstoppable drive to make the points secure for David Moyes's side

Changing of the guard: Wayne Rooney replaced Van Persie in the 63rd minute

Robin van Persie netted after six minutes to give Manchester United the perfect start... check out more brilliant stats in our Match Zone

Ashley Young made the points secure with a rasping drive... check out more brilliant stats in our Match Zone

Popping up all over the place... Juan Mata was a constant outlet for Manchester United on a promising debut... check out more brilliant stats in our Match Zone

Season at glance

• Live tables
• Fixtures
• Scores

• 	Team	P	GD	Pts
  1	Arsenal	23	24	52
  2	Manchester City	22	38	50
  3	Chelsea	22	23	49
  4	Liverpool	23	29	46
  5	Tottenham Hotspur	22	3	43
  6	Everton	23	11	42
  7	Manchester United	23	11	40
  8	Newcastle United	23	4	37
  9	Southampton	23	4	32
  10	Swansea City	23	-4	24
  11	Aston Villa	22	-7	24
  12	Norwich City	23	-17	24
  13	Hull City	23	-7	23
  14	Crystal Palace	23	-16	23
  15	West Bromwich Albion	22	-5	22
  16	Stoke City	22	-14	22
  17	Fulham	23	-28	19
  18	West Ham United	22	-11	18
  19	Sunderland	22	-15	18
  20	Cardiff City	23	-23	18

  More tables

The problem for Mata, obviously, is that he is the first. There will be improvements, a transformation most likely, and United will be  better than this. Until then, there will be spells — as there were in the first half — when they are being pegged back by Cardiff City and the new man is left to wonder how soon it will be before he again belongs to a team who just brush inferiors aside.
It does not help that, for all his improvement season on season, David de Gea is still a goalkeeper vulnerable to an old-fashioned up and under — and Cardiff, being Welsh, are not averse to that.
De Gea made a very intuitive save with his feet from a Mark Hudson header after Peter Whittingham’s 24th-minute corner, but it is worth noting that the visitors would not have had such a chance at all had De Gea come for a cross that looped up by his far post.
Perhaps his reluctance was explained soon after when he did attempt to deal with a similar effort at his near post, only to fumble the ball over the byline. This uncertainty, however, means United are never allowed to feel comfortable with a single-goal lead, mindful that it might only take one half-chance against the run of play to equalise. De Gea as good as cost United a place in the Capital One Cup final in his last game, remember.
Injuries have played havoc with Moyes’s best-laid plans this season, but even so seeing Ryan Giggs and Phil Jones in the heart of midfeld was an indication of the improvement required in the depth of this squad. Giggs is defying nature to continue as a Premier League footballer at 40, while Jones is in most minds a centre half out of position. He may yet make this role his own, but he needs to have a run in the team, not a succession of emergency turns.

Still got it: Ryan Giggs (right) made his 800th start - and 959th appearance - for Manchester United at the ripe old age of 40

It's that man again: Sir Alex Ferguson took his seat in the Old Trafford stands

Sage advice: Rooney and Solskjaer share a moment after the final whistle

Certainly there is work to be done strengthening United’s trunk, as was demonstrated when Jordon Mutch strode through the middle without hassle before releasing the ball to Craig Noone, who moved inside but shot wastefully over.
Plucky resistance is no use to  Cardiff as the weeks pass, though. They began this game rooted to the bottom and the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has done little to reverse their fortunes. His return has gone down well with the United fans, though, and it was noticeable that his name was sung by the home crowd more forcefully than those of Moyes, Rooney, Van Persie and even, yes, Mata. He got more name checks than he did at the Cardiff end too.
Yet no manager has ever survived on the love of the common people and it is plain Cardiff have an uphill task to remain in the league without an obvious cutting edge. They had good possession without greatly troubling United, and most teams can give them at least the odd scare these days. At least they looked like Cardiff — their shirts a vivid deep blue due to a clash of the red that owner Vincent Tan appears to find so uniquely lucky.
‘We’re Cardiff City, we’ll always be blue,’ sang the visitors — a statement that will most certainly be true if, come the end of the season, Solskjaer is still a bigger hero at Old Trafford than he is in South Wales.

Adebayor pumped up in bid to stop City title quest... the club that still pay him £40,000-A-WEEK (but don't worry, he's still got time for a cheeky pop at Arsenal)

Manchester City will bid to boost their battle for the title on Wednesday by stopping the man they pay £40,000-a-week from scoring... against them.
Emmanuel Adebayor is still paid that staggering amount despite having joined Spurs on a permanent deal in 2012 after a year on loan.
After being frozen out by former boss Andre Villas-Boas, he is now back in the Spurs line-up and scoring regularly. He poses the biggest threat to City's title chances when the two sides meet at White Hart Lane.

Adebayor put through his paces in gruelling gym session

Coming back to haunt: Emmanuel Adebayor prepares for Spurs v Man City with a session in the gym

Pumping iron: Adebayor looks focused as he gets stuck in in the gym ahead of facing his old club

ADEBAYOR HASN'T FORGOTTEN HIS FEUD WITH ARSENAL...

While all his thoughts will be towards getting one over his former side at the Etihad, Adebayor still had time for a cheeky pop at one-time employers Arsenal.
The striker 'liked' an Instagram picture - with his username @sea25 - taking the mickey out of the Gunners' trophyless run.

City captain Vincent Kompany will be tasked with keeping Adebayor quiet at the Lane as they bid to keep pace with rivals Arsenal and Chelsea.
Adebayor represents an expensive mistake and continues to cost City a fortune every week, some three years after he last kicked a ball for them. 

It has been reported that City are still paying £95,000 a week of the £170,000 Adebayor stood to earn if he simply sat on his backside in the reserves, with Tottenham making up the difference after paying a purchase price of only £5million.

In good form: Emmanuel Adebayor has scored six goals this season since his return to the Spurs side

Man to fear: Adebayor could derail City's title bid if he scores against them on Wednesday night

Title ambitions: Manchester City's Manuel Pellegrini hopes to lead his side to the Premier League this season

Expensive mistake: City are still supplementing Emmanuel Adebayor's wages to the tune of £40,000 a week

But trusted sources close to the Manchester club claim the figure is closer to £40,000 a week.
However, it’s not a breach of PL rules because it’s a settlement figure that Adebayor agreed to have paid to him in instalments. It will run until the end of the season, when the term of his original contract with City would have run to.
It would be a breach of Premier League rules for two clubs to be paying the wages of one player in such a situation and the Premier League examined the financial details of the deal before allowing it to go through.

Adebayor received a pay-off to leave City, then agreed to receive that money in instalments over the two years that remained of his original contract.

Sub way: Adebayor came on to play against his former club during Tottenham's 6-0 mauling at the Etihad

Sources at City insist Adebayor’s original salary was not as high as £170,000 a week. They say it was more like £140,000 a week.

When Adebayor’s move to White Hart Lane was made permanent in August 2012, Sportsmail understands Tottenham agreed to pay him £101,000 a week.

Not wishing to take such a big pay cut, Adebayor’s advisers then negotiated a pay-off with City. It is understood that is in the region of £4m paid in instalments over the two years — or approximately £40,000 a week.

Money matters: Manchester City took a heavy loss to get Adebayor off the wage bill

As well as being something of a legend in his native Togo — there is a foundation in his name — Adebayor is described as an astute business man. At one stage, it has been suggested, he had a business that provided the guards for Togo’s prisons.

The £20m drop in transfer fees aside, City would no doubt point to what they would also consider good business when Adebayor’s move to Tottenham became permanent; a saving of £10million in wages had Adebayor remained part of their squad.

That, of course, is the positive spin on what remains another tale of excess in football.

Adebayor is a talented footballer and when he moved to Spurs on loan in the summer of 2011 he did well for manager Harry Redknapp, scoring 18 goals in 37 appearances. During that season-long loan, City paid the lion’s share of his salary.