United to appeal twin charges as FA receive report

MANCHESTER UNITED have already declared their intention to appeal against the charges which could land Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes with three-match Premiership bans.

The FA have confirmed they have finally received the referee’s report into the dismissals of Rooney and Scholes during the friendly encounter with FC Porto in Amsterdam on Friday.

If the charges of violent conduct and serious foul play are not overturned, the pair will miss the trip to Charlton on August 23, plus the home encounter with Watford on August 26, then, most crucially, the clash against Tottenham at home on September 9.

United have been given until Friday afternoon to lodge an appeal and have privately indicated they will definitely be contesting the charges at a hearing likely to be held next Tuesday.

By that time, at least the FA will have been able to fully absorb a massive 23-page document which landed at Soho Square from their Dutch counterparts this afternoon.

While the Dutch appear to have dragged their heels submitting the paperwork, no-one could accuse them of being less than thorough.

Aside from the observations of referee Ruud Bossen, there were also full reports of both incidents from both assistant referees and the fourth official.

Despite this, it still seems certain both men will have their punishments downgraded to yellow cards, which would effectively clear Rooney and leave Scholes to serve a one-match suspension for the Charlton clash as he had already been cautioned against the Portuguese champions.

Meanwhile, the deal to bring West Brom goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak to Old Trafford is inching closer.

The Pole was left out of the Baggies’ squad at Cardiff on Tuesday night, with boss Bryan Robson admitting he expected Kuszczak’s situation to be clarified within the next 24 hours.

There was no official comment from United or West Brom yesterday but it seems certain Kuszczak’s arrival will be confirmed at some stage today.

The move will almost certainly signal the departure of Ben Foster, who played at Oxford on Tuesday night but will now join Watford for a second season-long loan stint.

Foster was a bystander at the Kassam Stadium as Cristiano Ronaldo made his first appearance on English soil since the World Cup.

Predictably, Ronaldo was booed every time he touched the ball, and he can expect a hot reception at most Premiership grounds once the new campaign gets underway later this month.

If evidence from the Kassam Stadium is any guide, the 21-year-old — who netted twice against Oxford — should have little problem shrugging off the taunts.