Mame Biram Diouf joins Blackburn Rovers on loan

Manchester United striker Mame Biram Diouf has moved to Blackburn on a season-long loan.

The Senegal international made six appearances for United last season following his arrival from Norwegian club Molde in December last year.

He netted his only United goal in January's 3-0 Premier League win over Burnley at Old Trafford.

The 22-year-old could be thrown straight into the Rovers' squad for the friendly away to Hearts on Saturday.

After that clash in Edinburgh, Diouf is due to link up with the Senegal Under-21 squad for a match against Morocco on Tuesday.Rovers' boss Sam Allardyce has been looking to bolster his attacking options since Benni McCarthy's departure to West Ham in last season's winter transfer window and loanee Franco Di Santo's return to Chelsea at the end of the campaign.

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Manchester United's Michael Carrick out of opener

Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick is to miss the start of the Premier League season because of an ankle injury, the club have confirmed.

Carrick picked up the problem during United's 7-1 defeat of an Airtricity League of Ireland side on Wednesday.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said the 29-year-old will be out for "a couple of weeks" as a result.

"Michael hurt his ankle. It is nothing serious but he will miss the start of the season," Ferguson added.

The injury means Carrick will be unavailable for Sunday's Community Shield contest with Chelsea and United's Premier League opener with Newcastle on 16 August.

He will also miss England's friendly with Hungary at Wembley on Wednesday, although it is uncertain whether he would have been named in Fabio Capello's squad after the Italian chose not to call on him during the World Cup.

Ferguson has confirmed Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen will get 45 minutes each against Chelsea but admitted a few senior players would miss the season's curtain-raiser because of injury.

"Gabriel Obertan still has the ankle injury he picked up in the United States. It will be a few weeks before Rio Ferdinand is back amongst us and Owen Hargreaves is still in the United States," said Ferguson.

"Anderson is making good progress from his knee injury and he could be back training in two or three weeks."

Brazilian twins Rafael and Fabio da Silva are also doubtful after suffering a bout of food poisoning.

Ferguson confirmed strikers Danny Welbeck and Mame Biram Diouf will be going out on loan during the coming season, with Sunderland and Blackburn believed to be their respective destinations.

But Tom Cleverley, loaned to Watford last term, is staying at Old Trafford after impressing during pre-season.

Ferguson said: "He is an exceptional young player in the sense of his ability to play in different positions. He is a mobile boy who can play wide on either side and in central midfield.

"Also, which he has showed at Watford last year, he is a goalscorer."

Ferguson is well aware Paul Scholes, at 35, is in the twilight of his career and he believes Cleverly could be the missing link.

"The days of expecting Paul Scholes to score 15 goals a season have gone now," the United boss conceded.

"We have to look at that area of the team because we must get goals from midfield. Tom has got outstanding qualities as far as goalscoring is concerned, so he is going to stay."

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Nemanja Vidic reaffirms commitment to Manchester United

Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic has insisted he never had any intention of quitting the club.

The 28-year-old Serbian was the subject of speculation for much of the summer suggesting he was set to leave United.

"I know there was all this speculation but I never said I wanted to go," said Vidic. "I always said I am happy here."

Meanwhile, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says striker Wayne Rooney, who was pictured out drinking at the weekend, has "impressed" in training.

The 24-year-old played the first half of United's 7-1 victory over an Airtricity League of Ireland selection on Wednesday - his first game since his goalless showing during England's woeful performance at the World Cup in South Africa.

He was photographed smoking and behaving boisterously on the Manchester streets during the early hours this weekend, but Ferguson said he is likely to play Rooney in the Community Shield against Chelsea on Sunday.

"I am not getting into that," said Ferguson when asked about the pictures.

"He has only been training for six days but he impressed me.

"He will need more training before he plays full games but I will have to play him against Chelsea to bring him on in time for the game against Newcastle.

"By that time he would have played an international too, which could be a good thing."

England have a friendly international against Hungary on 11 August, just three days before the start of the Premier League season.

Vidic was also making his first appearance since the World Cup in Dublin, but had little to do as United dominated the match from start to finish.

The confirmation of his intention to remain at Old Trafford follows the revelation from chief executive David Gill that the defender had agreed a new long-term contract at the club.

Vidic joined United in 2006 for £7m from Spartak Moscow.

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Airtricity League 1-7 Man Utd

Manchester United hammered an Airtricity League of Ireland selection in Wednesday's friendly in Dublin.

The encounter was the first football match to be played at the new £350m Aviva Stadium at Lansdowne Road.

Park Ji-Sung put United ahead on 13 minutes while Michael Owen stroked in the second goal before half-time.

Sub Javier Hernandez, Antonio Valencia, Park and Jonny Evans added further goals and while Dave Mulcahy replied, Nani's penalty completed the scoring.

Owen partnered Wayne Rooney up front at the start but both were withdrawn at half-time with Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov introduced.

In addition to Owen and Rooney, Nemanja Vidic, Park, Michael Carrick and Valencia were also handed their first pre-season appearances.

New signing Chris Smalling was also involved against the Irishmen, who were lacking any involvement from the Shamrock Rovers players involved in Thursday's tussle with Juventus.

The occasion was a chance for United's Irish faithful to see their heroes in action and the new 50,000-capacity stadium was only a few hundred short of being full.

United bossed the game from the start as Rooney and Owen both went close early on but their opener had a dose of good fortune after a dreadful mistake by Airtricity League player Ryan Peers.

The Sligo Rovers defender dallied on the ball in his own six-yard box and his attempted clearance was blocked directly into the roof of the net by Park.

Rooney should have doubled United's lead three minutes later but blasted over after keeper Rogers had saved a Darron Gibson drive.

However, the second goal did come on 25 minutes with Owen producing a delightful lofted finish from 10 yards over a stranded Rogers after nipping in ahead of Ken Oman.

By that stage, Michael Carrick had hobbled off for United in his first game since a World Cup campaign he watched exclusively from England's substitutes' bench.

New arrival Hernandez hammered his first touch to the net with a close-range finish on 47 minutes after good work by Valencia.

The impressive Valencia added the fourth on 60 minutes and Park's second goal (63) and a Jonny Evans header (69) brought up United's half-dozen.

Dave Mulcahy fired in the Airtricity League's reply on 78 minutes in a rare attack by the home selection but Nani completed the scoring on 82 from the spot after Hernandez had been fouled.

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