Manchester City manager expects to see injured forward Robinho back in action next week.
The Brazilian has been sidelined for over two months with a stress fracture of his ankle. During this spell Robinho has been constantly linked with a move to Barcelona but Hughes is relaxed about the situation.
Speaking ahead of the Carling Cup match against Scunthorpe tonight, Hughes said: "The only problem is that he is not fit and I cannot play him.
"That will resolve itself, we hope, in the next week or so. It is about him getting back playing and enjoying his football again. And that takes away any other focus on Robi."
Kolo Toure and Martin Petrov will sit out the fourth round match through injury but Hughes is intent on playing a strong team.
He said: "There is no reason why we cannot do well in the competition and that is what we are aiming to do.
"I have picked strong teams and squads for it in the past. My intention for this game is to do exactly the same.
"We hope to do well in the domestic cups if we can. The Premier League is a huge ask for anybody to overcome some of the best teams, not only in Europe, but the world.
"That's the challenge every club in the Premier League has if they are to aspire to the top title."
City go into the match against the Coca-Cola Championship side on the back of a draw with Fulham after letting a two-goal lead slip.
Hughes said: "We all felt it was a bit like a defeat. I said at the beginning of the season that it is not going to be a clear run for us.
"There will be occasions where we disappoint ourselves. But everybody knows we're making progress and going in the right direction.
"The atmosphere at home this season has been great. The quality of the football at the moment is of a high standard, so everyone is enjoying that."
Scunthorpe won promotion through the play-offs and Hughes added: "They are a good team and we will give them the respect they deserve. It is a big game for them but it won't faze them coming to our stadium.
"They have experience in recent times of playing at Wembley and dealt with that situation. They will arrive here in the hope of causing an upset. We have got to sure that does not happen."
Nomura Holdings, Japan's biggest brokerage, has reported its second straight quarterly profit after trading activity increased.
Net profit between July and September was 28.3bn yen ($310m; £189m), compared with a loss of 72.9bn yen for the same period a year earlier.
Total revenue came in at 355.5bn yen, compared with 257.7bn yen a year ago.
Nomura bought some of collapsed US bank Lehman Brothers' European operations in September last year.
"I think these results are pretty good overall. They seem to suggest that the company is on track for good results for the full year too," said Kenichi Hirano at Tachibana Securities.
"It's clear that the positive impact of the Lehman purchase is slowly starting to emerge."
Spanish banking giant Santander has announced a profit of 2.2bn euros ($3.3bn; £2bn) for July to September, almost unchanged from a year ago.
For the year-to-date, the bank has now made 6.74bn euros, down slightly on the 6.9bn euros it made in the first nine months of last year.
Santander owns the Alliance & Leicester, Abbey and Bradford & Bingley brands in the UK.
Profits at the bank's UK arm more than doubled for the year-to-date.
Its UK businesses made 1.3bn euros, 58% higher than a year earlier.
Despite this strong performance, the bank said the UK economy was "still fragile".
Steel giant ArcelorMittal has reported a profit for the July to September quarter, ending a run of three consecutive quarterly losses.
The company made a net profit of $903m (£552m) in the period, 76% less than the $3.82bn it made a year earlier.
The world's largest steel producer said it should see "further gradual improvement" in 2010, despite the "challenging operating environment".
Steel producers have suffered as demand for steel has fallen in the downturn.
Sales at Arcelor came in at $16.2bn, compared with $35.2bn for the same period a year ago.
"As anticipated, we have seen the first signs of recovery in the third quarter," said Arcelor's chairman Lakshmi Mittal.
"In response to this increased demand, a number of our facilities have now been re-started, and we expect fourth-quarter crude steel capacity to be approximately 70%," he added.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger feels Samir Nasri can be an important asset for the battles ahead.
The France winger is set for his first appearance of the season against Liverpool in tomorrow's Carling Cup clash at Emirates Stadium having recovered from a fractured leg suffered during the Gunners' summer training camp in Austria.
With Czech international Tomas Rosicky and England's Theo Walcott both struggling for fitness, the return of Nasri comes as a welcome boost for Wenger, whose side moved up to third place in the Barclays Premier League following Sunday's 2-2 draw at West Ham.
"We had great expectations for him this season, but unfortunately he got injured in the first day of the training camp and we haven't seen him since," Wenger told Arsenal TV Online.
"But what is good for him is he is fresh, he has prepared well and he can be an important asset in the coming weeks."
Wenger believes the versatile 22-year-old, signed from Marseille in July 2008, can easily slot into the Gunners' new system, which sees captain Cesc Fabregas at the heart of a fluid 4-3-3 formation.
"Basically, I can play him where he is needed," said Wenger, who is set to mix up his team selection once again for tomorrow night's match.
"I would say more in the defensive role, but because he can dribble he can play on the flanks.
"Nasri has pace and he can play in a role that is half a winger, a dropped winger who will come in sometimes, can go wide, so of course it has to be balanced maybe with a striker on the other side sometimes."
Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski is another looking to sharpen up his match fitness after coming back from knee surgery with the reserves last week.
Wenger accepts it is now something of a selection poser as to just who should be his regular number one, with young Italian Vito Mannone having filled in and then retained his place following illness to Manuel Almunia.
"It is a delicate choice but I will make a decision I think is right," said Wenger.
"I kept Vito in because we won the games, it is as simple as that."
While neither side will be at full strength tomorrow, Wenger knows Liverpool will be boosted by Sunday's victory over Manchester United, which went some way to lift the pressure on manager Rafael Benitez.
"You would say for them, with the environment they were in, it was vital," Wenger said.
"I must say on the day they deserved to win because they dominated this game and they came out of it with a deserved victory."
Wenger endured his own share of criticism during a difficult spell last season and sympathises with Benitez.
"It is not always easy but I believe in this job you need to resist the stress and the pressure," he said.
"You cannot dream to go for a career in this job without coming into these kind of situations, so it is an absolute necessity to go through this kind of period and survive."
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has called for a lasting dialogue with China's military after meeting a top Chinese general at the Pentagon.
A Pentagon spokesman said Mr Gates told China's Gen Xu Caihou the two sides should "break the on-again, off-again cycle" in their military relationship.
The talks marked the highest bilateral military contact since 2006.
Last year, Beijing halted military dialogue with Washington to protest against US arms sales to Taiwan.
China has also criticised US surveillance of waters off the Chinese coast.
'Obstacles'
"There is a need to break the on-again-off-again cycle of our military-to-military relationship," said Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell, briefing reporters on Mr Gates' talks with Gen Xu, vice-chairman of the People's Liberation Army Central Military Commission.
In the past, there had been progress "and then there will be a hiccup that will cause there to be a suspension" in military co-operation, Mr Morell said.
The spokesman described the talks as "productive", adding that Mr Gates accepted Gen Xu's invitation to visit China.
Meanwhile, US officials - who were speaking on the condition of anonymity - said Gen Xu was open to boosting military co-operation, but reiterated "obstacles" to deepening ties, such as the presence of US surveillance ships off China's coast.
Speaking earlier this week, Gen Xu said that China did not want "hegemony" or an arms race.
Washington has repeatedly urged China to be more open about its rapidly rising military spending.
Police in China say they have recovered more than 2,000 children in a six-month campaign against human trafficking.
The ministry of public security has set up a website with pictures of some of those kidnapped, in the hope of returning them to their families.
The public security ministry website has pictures of 60 children, ranging from babies to young adults, who were kidnapped from their families.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of children go missing in China each year.
Tragic trade
This is only the first batch, some have names, but many do not.
They come from across China, and were recovered in a six-month campaign against human trafficking.
Of the 2,008 children were recovered, some have already been reunited with their parents.
Criminal gangs steal the children and sell them to childless couples.
In China's patriarchal society, baby boys are especially prized, sometimes selling for as much as $6,000 (£3,670). Girls are sold for about $500 (£305).
Parents of missing children, often poor farmers or factory workers, have complained of official indifference in the past.
Beijing has promised to do more. A national DNA database was set up this year to help reunite families.
A strong Real Madrid side was thoroughly humbled in a 4-0 defeat to Alcorcon in the first leg of the Copa del Rey fourth round.
Madrid sent a decent side on the short trip north of the city to face the Segunda Division B side, but will return with their tails between their legs.
Alcorcon were in charge by half-time thanks to Borja's 16th minute opener, an own goal from Alvaro Arbeloa in the 22nd minute, and a strike from Ernesto five minutes before the break.
Borja then made certain of the win with his second after 52 minutes.
Madrid's neighbours Atletico, under new coach Quique Sanchez Flores for the first time, fared much better with a 2-0 win at Marbella thanks to Troyana's own goal and a late strike from Maxi Rodriguez.
Luis Fabiano and Jesus Navas each bagged a brace as Sevilla won 4-2 at Ciudad de Lorqui, while Recreativo Huelva and Sporting Gijon played to a 1-1 draw.
Six foreign UN employees have been killed and nine wounded in an attack in Kabul, the deadliest on the UN in Afghanistan since the Taliban's fall.
Three militants attacked a guesthouse used by the UN. They were later shot dead. Two Afghan security personnel and a civilian also died.
The Taliban said they carried out the attack, which comes 10 days before the second round of presidential elections.
Later, rockets were fired at the city's five-star Serena Hotel.
One or two rockets were said to have landed in the grounds of the hotel, which is used by diplomats and other foreigners.
No-one has been reported injured there, but about 100 people inside at the time were taken to secure rooms as smoke filled the lobby.
Taliban warning
The attack at the guesthouse happened just before 0600 (0130 GMT), Afghan police and the UN said.
The private Bekhtar Guesthouse is used by the UN and other international organisations.
The US embassy confirmed one of the dead was an American.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack in a telephone call to the Associated Press.
He said three Taliban militants with suicide vests, grenades and machine guns had carried out the assault.
UN spokesman Aleem Siddique told the BBC there was gunfire and an explosion outside the building as UN employees tried to flee. Streets were cordoned off by police.
The three gunmen were shot dead and the incident ended at about 0830 local time.
It was not immediately known how many people were inside the guesthouse at the time. The building was gutted by fire.
One foreign Kabul resident told the BBC the attack involved multiple grenades and automatic weapons.
"I saw people on the roof [security guards] and one woman climbed down from a second storey balcony after she had stood screaming and shouting for about five minutes for someone to come help her. Much of the gunfire was random - security guards shooting at nothing," he said.
The US embassy condemned the attack, saying it was "shocked and saddened".
"Attacking civilian workers will not lessen our determination to support the Afghan people and their election process," the embassy said.
Afghan interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary said the operation was now over, and the security forces were in control of the building.
Mr Bashary praised the effectiveness of the security operation and said he hoped this would not point to further attacks in the run-up to the voting.
"We are preparing to strengthen the vulnerable points and the security belt for the centre of the city," he told the BBC.
But the Taliban spokesman said they had threatened to target anyone working on the Afghan run-off presidential election between incumbent Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah.
"This is our first attack," he said.
Another UN spokesman, Adrian Edwards, said: "This has clearly been a very serious incident for us. We've not had an incident like this in the past."
The BBC's Ian Pannell in Kabul says that given the huge number of security personnel in the city, it is difficult to see how security there could be increased further.
The UN is playing a leading role in organising the run-off election and our correspondent says it is clearly a tactic of the Taliban to prevent its staff from going about their business safely.
A BBC correspondent in Geneva says the UN is working on the immediate measures it can take but that the attack is certain to spark a rethink about both security and the UN aid agency presence in Afghanistan.
There has been heightened tension in Afghanistan following the first round of the presidential election, which was marred by widespread fraud.
Holders Manchester United are through to the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup but once again finished a game with only ten men.
Gary Neville was sent off in the second half at Oakwell, following on from fellow defender Nemanja Vidic in the defeat by Liverpool on Sunday.
Neville's dismissal was the only downside for United who secured their passage thanks to goals from Danny Welbeck and Michael Owen, his third of the season.
Ferguson named a completely different starting XI to the one at Anfield and the youngsters rose to the challenge against Barnsley.
Had the Coca-Cola Championship side shown a cutting edge to match their work rate it might have been a different story.
Ferguson handed a delayed debut to Gabriel Obertan, two months after the winger arrived from Bordeaux.
Obertan, 20, had proved his fitness with three games for the reserves after a nagging back injury and he should have marked the occasion by finding the target.
Up against former Old Trafford striker Mark Robins, now Barnsley manager, United needed only five minutes to make the breakthrough.
It was Welbeck who made his mark just as he did in the last round when he scored the winner against Wolves.
He was allowed a free header when Anderson delivered the corner and took advantage with a clinical finish.
Welbeck almost added a second five minutes later following a superb ball over the top from Anderson.
However goalkeeper Luke Steele prevented his side going two down by making a marvellous block.
Barnsley were again forced on the back foot in the 19th minute and Obertan should have scored when released by Owen. But again Steele stood tall and thwarted the Frenchman.
However the home side responded and skipper Stephen Foster was left cursing his luck four minutes later.
His header from Adam Hammill's corner beat goalkeeper Ben Foster but came back off the angle of the post and bar.
Back came United and Welbeck headed over the bar following a cross from Obertan in the 36th minute.
With only one goal separating the teams, Barnsley were by no means out of it. But there was disbelief around the ground when Daniel Bogdanovic's ball across the face of the goal seven minutes later was not picked up.
Owen then squandered a good chance in the 48th minute, scuffing a shot wide after being set up by Welbeck.
Barnsley were making a decent fist of it but Anderson should have done better six minutes later when he failed to test Foster.
Then substitute Zoran Tosic, who had replaced Welbeck, saw his effort narrowly clear the bar in the 57th minute.
Two minutes later Owen showed his class by making it 2-0, clipping the ball past Steele after getting between Foster and Darren Moore with Fabio supplying the pass.
However United were reduced to ten men in the 63rd minute when Neville was handed a straight red by referee Chris Foy for clattering into the back of Hammill.
Neville, who was on the bench against Liverpool, looked stunned at seeing his time on the pitch come to a premature end.
Anderson then twice came close in quick succession to pulling a goal back for Barnsley but both his headers were wayward.
However they had the bit between their teeth and were anxious to give a full house something to cheer about.
It was not to be though as United kept their shape and their discipline to move menacingly into the last eight of the competition.
Chelsea playmaker Joe Cole has confirmed that he wants to stay at Stamford Bridge.
The England international made a triumphant return to the first-team at the weekend, after nine-months on the sidelines with a knee injury.
Now after playing under Carlo Ancelotti for the first time, Cole insists that he has no plans to quit the London outfit - despite reports to the contrary in recent months.
Cole's current deal expires next summer and Chelsea are anxious to tie him down to a long-term deal.
"We're talking at the moment about the future and we all agree what we want," he told The Daily Mirror.
"I love it here. The club want me to stay, so there should be no problems.
"I feel like this is my home."
Stan Kroenke has purchased another 10 shares in Arsenal's parent holding company, at a cost of some £85,000.
The Denver-based sports magnate is now the largest individual shareholder in the Gunners, with a stake of some 28.9 per cent, which includes a £765,000 purchase earlier this month.
Should Kroenke, or indeed anyone else such as second-largest shareholder Alisher Usmanov, reach a figure of 29.9 per cent, they would, under the City's financial regulations, be obliged to launch a formal takeover bid.
However, when the matter of his intentions for the Premier League club was raised during last week's Annual General Meeting at Emirates Stadium, the American - nicknamed 'Silent Stan' - chose not to take the opportunity to address the gathered shareholders, with chairman Peter Hill-Wood intervening.
Any public statements against future bid intentions must be unambiguous, otherwise the individual or group would, under the Takeover Panel's rule 2.8, be prevented from making a formal move for six months.
The latest share dealings were confirmed to the Plus market.
"On 26th October 2009, Arsenal Holdings plc (the "Company") received notification that on 26th October 2009 Stan Kroenke, a director of the company, acquired 10 ordinary shares of £1.00 each in the company at a price of £8,500 per share," a statement read.
"Taking into account such acquisition, Stan Kroenke has a beneficial interest in, and controls voting rights over, 17,967 ordinary shares in the company, representing 28.9 per cent of the company's issued ordinary shares."
Speaking last week, Hill-Wood insisted major changes behind the scenes were not on the agenda.
The Arsenal chairman stressed: "I don't think we are looking for a change in custodian.
"I think you will find the club is in pretty good hands.
"I believe he [Stan] is happy to be a long-term shareholder in our club."
espnstar.com takes a look at the stats that matter ahead of Tuesday's crucial games in the last-16 of the Champions League.
With the war of words already ringing around the San Siro prior to Inter Milan's clash with Manchester United, here's a look at the statistics for that game and the three other matches in the last-16 of Europe's elite event.
Internazionale vs Manchester United
Previous Clashes:
Inter 1-1 Man United (1998-99 UEFA Champions League QF2)
Man United 2-0 Inter (1998-99 UEFA Champions League QF1)
Club Top Scorers (This season):
Dimitar Berbatov, Man United (4)
Adriano, Inter (3)
Most Cards:
Patrice Evra, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani, Rafael, John O'Shea and Carlos Tevez, Man United (1 Yellow Card)
Dejan Stankovic, Julio Cruz, Maicon, Sulley Muntari, Marco Materazzi and Mario Balotelli, Inter (1 Yellow Card)
Arsenal vs AS Roma
Previous Clashes:
Arsenal 1-1 Roma (2002-03 UEFA Champions League Second Group Stage)
Roma 1-3 Arsenal (2002-03 UEFA Champions League Second Group Stage)
Club Top Scorers:
Emmanuel Adebayor, Arsenal (3)
Mirko Vucinic and Matteo Brighi, Roma (3)
Most Cards:
Robin van Persie, Arsenal (2 Yellow Cards)
Christian Panucci and Daniele De Rossi, Roma (2 Yellow Cards)
Olympique Lyonnais vs Barcelona
Previous Clashes:
Lyon 2-2 Barcelona (2007-08 UEFA Champions League Group Stage)
Barcelona 3-0 Lyon (2007-08 UEFA Champions League Group Stage)
Lyon 2-3 Barcelona (2001-02 UEFA Champions League Group Stage)
Barcelona 2-0 Lyon (2001-02 UEFA Champions League Group Stage)
Club Top Scorers:
Lionel Messi, Barcelona (5)
Karim Benzema, Lyon (5)
Most Cards:
Rafael Marquez, Barcelona (2 Yellow Cards)
Cris and Juninho, Lyon (3 Yellow Cards)
Atletico Madrid vs FC Porto
Previous Clashes:
Porto 0-0 Atletico (1963-64 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup)
Atletico 2-1 Porto (1963-64 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup)
Club Top Scorers:
Sergio Aguero, Atletico (3)
Lisandro, Porto (4)
Most Cards:
Luis Perea, Atletico (3 Yellow Cards)
Lucho, Porto (1 Red Card)
Dimitar Berbatov is out to win the Champions League, saying it was a key reason behind his Manchester United move.
Sir Alex Ferguson's charges play Joe Mourinho's Inter Milan at the San Siro on Tuesday, a game that has already been surrounded by a healthy war of footballing words.
Whilst admitting that Inter - currently flying high at the top of Serie A, will provide the Red Devils with a stern test - Berbatov is out to get his hands on the trophy that United claimed last season when they beat Chelsea in Moscow.
"I came here to win the Champions League," Berbatov told The Manchester Evening News
"Manchester United are capable of winning it again. We have the team and the players."
"We are facing a very good team on Tuesday," the Bulgaria international added.
"But we have good players as well. It will be a great game to watch and hopefully we can take a good result back to Old Trafford for the second leg."
Fabio Da Silva is on standby to take a place in the United defence if Sir Alex Ferguson ends up not being able to call on John O'Shea and Jonny Evans to face Inter.
Ferguson is hopeful O'Shea will recover from a heel injury in time to face Mourinho's men but Evans was unable to train at the San Siro on Monday evening after limping out of Saturday's win over Blackburn with an ankle injury.
Cristiano Ronaldo has urged his Manchester United team-mates to play to their instincts and “kill” the opposition.
The Red Devils' wing wizard has also declared that his side will cripple Internazionale at the San Siro, and ensure that Jose Mourinho's men will exit from the competition in a fortnight.
"We have a more experienced team and are the reigning champions," said Ronaldo. "It's time to kill or be killed. Whoever loses will exit the competition - and we don't want to lose."
"It will be a difficult game but I think Manchester United have a better team," continued the Portuguese superstar. "They're a team with very experienced players but we also have our aces and great players."
"It will be a good game, a well-contested game, and the better team will triumph," concluded Ron. "I have won the Champions League and want to repeat that very soon."
The winger also expects to be heavily marked by the reigning Serie A champions in their Champions League second-round, first-leg clash.
Sir Alex Ferguson believes that his player have the mettle to stand up to the physical test.
"When we came here two years ago and played AC Milan in the semi-final, we saw the immaturity of the boy. But he is a different player now," said Ferguson.
"I want to see maturity from Ronaldo and everyone else because of the atmosphere and the competition."
Sir Alex is hopeful Jonny Evans and John O'Shea can recover from their injuries to start.
Arsene Wenger has insisted that his struggling Arsenal side will become the best in England within the next few seasons.
The Frenchman believes he has his very own "golden generation" at the Emirates Stadium - such as that which came through the ranks at Manchester United in the mid-1990s and went on to dominate the English game for several years.
"I believe that no matter what happens it is important to keep this team together. This team is as good as anything in England," Wenger said. "At the start of the season, we played with (Theo) Walcott, (Abou) Diaby, (Cesc) Fabregas, (Samir) Nasri and Denilson and the oldest one was 21."
He added: "When they will all be 23 or 24 they will comfortably beat all the other teams, believe me.
"We have to keep them together no matter what happens and that is where the danger is in the modern game.
"What we achieve in the rest of this season and the trophies we win is important in keeping players like Cesc (Fabregas) and (Robin) Van Persie."
Sir Alex Ferguson will have to do something he has managed just once in 13 meetings and defeat arch-rival Jose Mourinho.
This was after a masterful Manchester United display went unrewarded in the San Siro.
Despite a succession of clear chances, including one in the last seconds that Cristiano Ronaldo cannoned into Julio Cesar's chest, a vital away goal would not come.
So while Ferguson's men will be confident of getting a goal in the second leg at Old Trafford, they remain vulnerable to Mourinho's guile.
It was expected a meeting between the undisputed kings of Italy and England would be a keenly-fought affair with little give on either side.
In fact the first half turned out to be a landslide in every respect but the scoreboard.
The sheer speed of United's movement caught Inter napping almost as much as Ferguson's decision to leave Wayne Rooney on the bench.
Their swift snappy passing, allied to movement off the ball gave Inter a problem they struggled to solve. Indeed, they would not have managed it without an outstanding individual performance from Julio Cesar.
Brazilian goalkeepers may have been derided down the years but no-one was complaining among a noisy and increasingly agitated home contingent as Cesar made a string of saves to keep United at bay.
Ryan Giggs was denied at one point but the main victim was Ronaldo, who took aim with a series of free-kicks and found the Brazilian in the way every time, sometimes theatrically but always effectively.
Ronaldo did beat him once with a point-blank header but it flashed wide.
The world player of the year was a conclusive winner of his head-to-head duel with Zlatan Ibrahimovic though.
Mourinho rates the Swede as number one on the planet right now but there was precious little evidence to back up such a lofty claim as United's defence, reinforced by John O'Shea and Jonny Evans - who both overcame fitness concerns to start - kept him at bay, with Adriano virtually non-existent.
The major worry, especially with a coach as wily as Mourinho in the opposing dug-out, must be United's failure to score.
It was not as though they lacked the opportunity. Lone striker Dimitar Berbatov surged clear in the box at one point, only to look up and see no-one in support as he prepared to cross.
Inter's frustrations were summed up just before the break when Cesar's deputy, Francesco Toldo, was booked for protesting on the touchline at another decision that had gone against his team.
Ferguson must have sensed Inter would finally flex their muscles after the break, and so it proved.
Adriano had already flashed one shot wide when he crashed to the turf under Ferdinand's challenge as Javier Zanetti crossed.
The Brazilian screamed for a penalty but TV replays suggested Spanish referee Luis Medina Cantalejo was right to say no.
But Inter tails were up and Stankovic was narrowly wide with another shot before attempting to release Ibrahimovic, who had strayed narrowly offside when otherwise he would have been clear.
United were not quite clinging on as their opponents had been earlier. However, they were being tested and it took them some time to regain their earlier composure.
Their goal threat had become sporadic with Zanetti's far-post clearance to prevent Giggs reaching Ronaldo's low cross the summit of United's danger until the veteran Welshman was allowed to gallop into the Inter box, where his shot was blocked by Ivan Cordoba and Carrick fired the rebound over.
After seeing Cordoba fail to make the most of a Mario Balotelli corner, Ferguson gave Rooney seven minutes to make a difference, and was no doubt not meaning for Rooney to pick up a booking for a foul on Stankovic.
However, it was a peripheral moment, with Ronaldo taking centre stage one last time to unleash another 20-yard thunderbolt. Cesar remained defiant and saved with his chest.
Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho has slammed referee Luis Medina Cantalejo after Tuesday's 0-0 draw with Man United.
At a packed to capacity San Siro, the Serie A table-toppers were often made to play second fiddle to a United team who are attempting to retain the trophy they won last May in Moscow.
With the second leg to come at Old Trafford in a fortnight's time, Mourinho has wasted little time in attacking Cantalejo, who the flamboyant Portuguese coach believes failed to referee the tie evenly.
"Maybe in the second leg we will have a referee who is on our side.
"I don't want to go into details of things like how we didn't have a penalty. Everything was against us, every little detail.
"You watch how many free-kicks they had and we had. The way we got yellow cards and they did not. I think the tendency was clear.
Despite a succession of clear chances, including one in the last seconds that Cristiano Ronaldo cannoned into Julio Cesar's chest, a vital away goal for United would not come.
Whilst admitting that he was disappointed with the draw, Ferguson was quick to rubbish Mourinho's suggestion that the match officials had been biased towards the visitors.
Is he serious? I saw a marvelous refereeing performance," declared the wily Scot.
"Of course, there's a disappointment that we have not won the game, but with our record at Old Trafford we should have a great chance.
"I just hope it (the draw) foes not come back to bite us," Ferguson added.
(CNN) -- A passenger jet carrying more than 130 people crashed into a field as it was coming into land in Amsterdam Wednesday. The Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 broke into three pieces on impact, but fatalities were initially thought to be minimal.
Reports say that some survivors escaped from the plane through cracks in the fuselage.
Reports say that some survivors escaped from the plane through cracks in the fuselage.
There were conflicting reports about whether anyone was killed on the plane, which had 127 passengers and seven crew members.
The airline spokesman and Turkish Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim said no one had died, but an airline official told CNN sister station CNN-Turk that at least one person was confirmed dead.
A news photographer at the scene said he saw an unknown number of bodies lying under a white blanket, said Maaike Voersma, a journalist with Dutch newspaper De Bers told CNN.
Twenty people were injured, the airline spokesman said.
A passenger on the plane who spoke to Turkish network DHA said he saw injured people trapped and squeezed between the seats when he walked off the plane. iReport: Send your videos, stories
Journalist Ivan Watson in Istanbul said Turkish media quoted one crash survivor as saying that the back of the plane hit the ground first. "He said it was not an extremely horrible situation, it was like being in turbulence. He said it was more like a sudden impact, then we stopped."
Internazionale coach Jose Mourinho could be on his way to Spain and the Primera Liga according to the man himself.
Renowned for his brash attitude and outspoken personality, the former Chelsea boss stated in an interview with The Sun that he wants to win league titles in England, Italy and Spain.
He said: "One of my ambitions as a manager is to win the three most important championships in Europe: the Premier League, Serie A and La Liga. If I can do the first two, my focus in the future will be on La Liga,"
A big hint for Real Madrid who have contracted Juande Ramos only till the end of the current season.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The deaths of a U.S. soldier and an Iraqi interpreter Tuesday in Mosul were carried out by a terrorist dressed as a policeman, according to Iraqi officials, disputing U.S. military accounts.
"This was a terrorist wearing a police uniform," said Maj. Gen. Hussein Ali Kamal, an Interior Ministry spokesman. "This was a terrorist operation."
The shooting took place in Nineveh province about 2 p.m. as U.S. troops met with Iraqi police at a police station, U.S. and Iraqi sources said.
Initial reports suggested four U.S. soldiers and their interpreter were killed, but the U.S. military later said the four were wounded, not killed. One later died of his injuries, the military said.
The military statement said one Iraqi translator was killed and another was wounded. All the injured were taken to a combat support hospital, the military said.
Maj. Gen. Abdul Karim Khalaf, a spokesman for Iraq's Interior Ministry, confirmed that an interpreter was killed.
(CNN) -- President Obama on Tuesday outlined an ambitious agenda that requires "significant resources," even as he aims to halve the deficit by the end of his first term.
President Obama says the United States will overcome its current economic struggles.
President Obama says the United States will overcome its current economic struggles.
In his first speech to a joint session of Congress, Obama said it's time to act boldly not just to revive the economy, but "to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity."
"While the cost of action will be great, I can assure you that the cost of inaction will be far greater," he said.
The president struck an optimistic tone, asserting that "we will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before."
Obama focused on the three priorities of the budget he will present to Congress later this week: energy, health care and education.
The president said he sees his budget as a "vision for America -- as a blueprint for our future," but not something that will solve every problem or address every issue.
