Girls' night out for Coleen instead of supporting Rooney on the pitch

It's clear where Coleen Rooney's priorities lie.

When it came to choosing between supporting her husband's England team last night, or going to see Cheryl Cole perform with the Black Eyed Peas there was no contest.

New mother Coleen, 24, ditched her WAG duties and headed out to see her friend at the MEN Arena.

Joined by her girlfriends, Coleen slipped into a two-tier white dress, Christian Louboutin heels and teamed her ensemble with a pair of very weighty-looking earrings.

As she watched Cheryl belt out songs from her album 3 Words, followed by the main act - U.S. group the Black Eye Peas - Wayne was at Wembley for the England versus Mexico World Cup friendly.

But it was Ledley King, Peter Crouch and Glen Johnson who scored and made it a 3-1 win for England.

Coleen, who gave birth to baby Kai in November, recently revealed she had been in touch with Cheryl since her split from Chelsea player husband Ashley Cole.

She said last month: 'I do keep in touch with Cheryl. Occasionally we will drop each other a text. Cheryl is just so nice and doing so well.'

Sir Alex has written off England's chances in World Cup

Sir Alex has offered his thoughts on the upcoming World Cup Finals.

Not surprisingly, the Scotsman - the most successful manager in English football - has written off England's chances.

However, he feels Serbia - who have Manchester United duo Nemanja Vidic and Zoran Tosic in their squad - can emerge as dark horses and Cristiano Ronaldo will be the star of the tournament.

He said: "England, with Fabio Capello, will be thereabouts. But, from there to winning the World Cup, I don't think so.

"Above all, I want my players to perform well and come back pumped up by a good World Cup.

"Spain and Brazil remain the great favourites. I see Serbia pulling something off and I am counting, too, on the Portugal of my friend Carlos Queiroz with Ronaldo who, in my eyes, remains the best player in the world. And Italy, as usual, will be around."

Rooney revealed everything in interview by Rio Ferdinand

This is the moment England skipper Rio Ferdinand interviewed Three Lions talisman Wayne Rooney.

The two Manchester United superstar team-mates discuss everything from Messi to music, from Ronaldo to red carpets and from web games to the World Cup.

#5 MAGAZINE: Cover star

RIO: The big question that everyone will be asking: Can England win the World Cup?

ROO: I think we can. Yeah, we've got a good chance. Get some players back who've been out for a while (laughs at Rio) then we should have a great chance! We have got some players who can win games for us and that's important. You look at Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Jermain Defoe, they can all win a game for you so, hopefully, our big players will perform there.

We've definitely got the quality, we've got the players and the manager has been brilliant, so everything is there for us. It's set for us to do something special there.

RIO: What other teams do you think have a good chance of winning the trophy over in South Africa?

ROO: Spain, Brazil, Italy, Germany, Argentina - there are a lot of teams. It's about performing at your best and getting a bit of luck as well.

RIO: Who are you most looking forward to seeing at the World Cup?

ROO: Lionel Messi. He's unbelievable. In my eyes he's up there. Him and Maradona are the best two ever.

RIO: I thought you were going to say Messi's the best. I have to say Maradona. Until Messi wins the World Cup he won't be - but he has got a few years to win it yet. So who would you have in your team out of Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo if you could only pick one?

ROO: I don't think Roni is going to be too happy with the answer. Lionel Messi. Over the last two years Messi has taken the game, excitement and entertainment to another level. Ronaldo is a world-class player, I have played with him and, rightly so, he was named World Player of the Year - but I think this year Messi has taken it to a different level.

RIO: Who's the best player you've ever played with at England or Manchester United?

ROO: (Laughs at Rio) You're probably the best defender. It's difficult because there are so many great players. Stevie Gerrard is a great player, Paul Scholes for United, but I'd have to say Ronaldo for what he did for us the season we won the Champions League. He scored 42 goals.

RIO: Who did Wayne Rooney most look up to as a kid? Who did you want to be when you were playing in the park?

ROO: There were a few. Shearer and Gazza were the main two. Then, a bit later, Michael Owen. When he scored his goal against Argentina he was the most exciting player in world football and I remember trying to pretend I was him in the streets. So I've been quite lucky to play with him.

RIO: Was his goal against Argentina your first World Cup memory?

ROO: No, 1994, when the Republic of Ireland's Ray Houghton scored a chip against Italy. I don't know why I always remember that, but that was the only thing I remember from that World Cup.

RIO: You play loads of computer games and you're the face of the FIFA one but, when you are playing a game, who is your team and who is your main player?

ROO: I always go United and I'm probably my main player! Or Nani as well for some reason.

RIO: So are you online a lot?

ROO: All the time.

RIO: Even though you've got a family now?

ROO: Obviously I've had to limit it a bit - but when the baby is in bed I tend to go on it a lot and I'm on it most nights.

RIO: Where are you in the standings?

ROO: I must be top, must be.

RIO: How do you deal with the celebrity lifestyle that comes with being a footballer?

ROO: Sometimes it is hard if you just want to go for a night out or you want to do things that normal people do so, to be honest, I don't really go out as much as I used to. Obviously, I have the privileges and I can do things some people can't do, but I don't really live like a celebrity. Far from it.

RIO: You don't do the red carpet stuff. But people think you are at the opening of an envelope, or a nightclub, you are going to premieres and stuff...

ROO: No, no. I finish training, go home and I'm in the house seven days a week unless there's a special occasion.

RIO: Who have you ever been star-struck by?

ROO: Mike Tyson. Growing up, I loved him. He was my idol.

RIO: Where did you meet him?

ROO: In Manchester. I was lucky enough to have a meal with him. I sat next to him but, for some reason, he hit me with a few body shots and I was like: 'All right, you can stop now!' But in my eyes he is the best boxer of all time.

RIO: Is it true Noel Gallagher sent you a guitar for your birthday?

ROO: Yeah, he did. Colleen asked him. I'm a big fan of Oasis, she bought the guitar and then sent it to them to sign for my birthday. I was happy with the guitar he gave me but a bit disappointed with his comments afterwards. He said I gave it away to charity but I've still got it in the house.

RIO: How would you sum up your Manchester United career so far?

ROO: Yeah, it's been good. We've won quite a few trophies over the last few years and been to two European Cup finals, won three league titles and the Carling Cup, so I'm just waiting on the FA Cup and, hopefully, that will come before too long. But, yeah, it's been good, I've enjoyed it.

RIO: How do you think you have done this season?

ROO: I think I've done all right. It's probably my most prolific season. I've scored a lot of goals, I've played up front a lot of the time and I think that's the main reason.

RIO: With Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez leaving last summer, a lot of goals went out of the team. How do you deal with the extra burden?

ROO: It's difficult to lose those two players. They are two world-class players so I knew I had to score more goals than I had done, but I have managed to do so and the midfield players have chipped in with a lot of goals. Dimitar (Berbatov) has scored a few, Michael Owen has scored a few so the goals have been spread out amongst the team a lot more.

RIO: Did the managers at United or England have anything to do with you scoring more goals in the way that you play?

ROO: Sir Alex Ferguson sat me down before the season and said he wanted me in the box more, to score more goals inside the box, more headed goals, and I've managed to do that. Working on it in training has obviously benefited me.

RIO: How many headed goals have you got this season?

ROO: 10.

RIO: What's been your best Manchester United goal this season?

ROO: Not sure, there have been a few (chuckles). Probably Arsenal away.

RIO: Yeah, that was a great goal.

ROO: It was a good team goal, good counter-attacking. Nani played it through to me, I'd made a long run and managed to finish it off so it's been my most pleasing goal.

RIO: What's been your most important goal? Man City?

ROO: Yes, definitely. Last minute, Carling Cup semi-final, it was a massive game, a lot of pride at stake and it looked like it was going into extra time and I managed to score a header so I was delighted.

RIO: What's your favourite Man United goal of your whole career so far?

ROO: I think my best one was against Newcastle, my volley. I was arguing with the ref, trying to get Shearer booked and the ball dropped. I was about 25 yards out and I just hit it as hard as I could and it went into the top corner.

RIO: For any aspiring young footballer, what advice would you give them to become a top player?

ROO: Just practice. When I was growing up I practised nearly every day. The times I didn't have training I'd be on the street playing. Listen to your coaches and work hard and if you want it enough and you practice enough you will give yourself every chance to fulfil your dream.

Adios..Ben Foster

Birmingham have completed the £6million signing of Ben Foster from Manchester United, with the England goalkeeper signing a three-year contract.

The fee was agreed between the two clubs last week and Foster has completed a medical to seal his Old Trafford exit.

Foster struggled to impress despite a run of first-team appearances with United this season, but he leaves with Sir Alex Ferguson describing him as the best goalkeeper England have.

'I think he deserves the opportunity to do better for himself,' said the United boss.

‘That's the reason we accepted the offer. I feel and I still am very strong about this, I think he's the best English goalkeeper in England.

Although he began last term with high hopes of ousting Edwin van der Sar from his status as United's first-choice keeper, Foster's chance disappeared with high-profile mistakes against Manchester City and Sunderland during a two-month period at the start of the campaign when the veteran Dutchman was missing through injury.

Despite these blunders, Foster was handed successive England starts, against Belarus and Brazil, leading to an expectation he would claim a place in Fabio Capello's World Cup squad.

Instead, Ferguson kept him on the sidelines for almost the entire remainder of the season, meaning the 27-year-old was not one of the men in Capello's provisional squad when he named it last week.

After five years at United, two of which were spent on loan at Watford, Foster had accepted there was no future for him at the club, especially as Sir Alex Ferguson persuaded Van der Sar to sign another year's contract extension.

Hargreaves wants showdown talks with Sir Alex

Owen Hargreaves wants showdown talks with Sir Alex after being axed from both Manchester United and England squads.

 Hargreaves is due on United's pre-season tour of America and Mexico in July.

But before that he wants to know the extent of Ferguson's part in him being left out of England's 30-man World Cup squad - after initially being named in it.

And also why he was not even given a sub's spot for the club's final game of the season at home to Stoke.

He had come on as a sub, though only for a minute, in the penultimate game with Sunderland.

Hargreaves stormed away from Old Trafford 50 minutes before kick-off against Stoke after discovering he was not in the squad.

The ex-Bayern Munich midfielder, capped 42 times, had hoped to play some part in a bid to prove to England coach Fabio Capello he was fit to be named in his initial squad.

As it was, Capello already had him penned in, having had Canadian-born Hargreaves' medical records assessed following nearly two years out for operations on both knees.

Yet that was before Capello spoke to United boss Ferguson on Monday of last week at a League Managers' Association dinner in London.

Ferguson is understood to have told Capello that Hargreaves was still a long way off playing at the highest level.

The following day, the Italian reversed his decision to include Hargreaves and reinstated ankle-ligament victim Gareth Barry.

Ferguson has been patient with Hargreaves, 29, who has started only 25 games since joining the club for £17million from Bayern in May 2007.

Earlier this season, Ferguson was angry there seemed more attention on Hargreaves getting fit for England than United.

Ferguson said: "Hargreaves owes us now. He has to think of his club not his country."

Hargreaves was voted England's best player in the last World Cup.

Yet Ferguson says there was no chance he could have gone to this year's finals after so long out and so little football.

Ferguson insisted: "Owen has not had enough football. You couldn't possibly have picked him. That was straightforward."

Angel Di Maria very likely to be at Old Trafford next season

Anderson could emerge as a key figure in Manchester United's attempts to pip Real Madrid for the signature of £38million-rated Benfica winger Angel di Maria.

United officials have been sounding out Benfica about Di Maria's availability but have been deterred by an insistence that he will cost every last penny of the release clause in his contract. 

A compromise could be on the cards, though, following claims in Lisbon that Benfica would at least consider a swap deal that would entail United parting with Anderson plus a £10m cash adjustment.

With the 22-year old midfielder yet to fulfil the promise that landed him an £18m move to Old Trafford from Porto nearly three years ago, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson may be prepared to sanction such an offer to secure one of his main summer transfer targets.

It will require decisive action by Ferguson to win the race for Di Maria, following reports in Argentina that Real remain firm favourites to sign him. 

The United manager has been monitoring Di Maria's impact all season and has seen enough of his lightning pace down the left and eye for goal to be convinced that Diego Maradona was not exaggerating in a recent analysis of the Argentina international's worth.

'I have been following his progress in Europe, and I am more certain than ever that he is going to develop into a true world superstar in the next few years,' said the Argentina coach.