The Blues forward reportedly phoned his friend, Emmanuel Adebayor, who was one of the players on the bus when it was attacked by Cabindan separatist guerrillas. He spoke to him for a long time about the situation.

Drogba apparently considered quitting the African Cup of Nations, but now he and the rest of the Ivory Coast team are now resolved to play in the tournament.

“We are ready, but the events of Friday have left us shattered. I have spoken with Adebayor and it was a difficult situation for them,” the Chelsea star told The London Evening Standard. “We have to show solidarity with them, though, and support the decision they have taken. We are all sad to see them leave the biggest competition for African players, but that is life.”

While the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have declared that the ACN will not be canceled, Togo’s part in the tournament now appears to have come to an end as the team have arrived at an airport in order to return to Lome, the Togolese capital.

The Red Devils have had an inconsistent season, having lost five times in the Premier League already and also dumped out of the FA Cup in the third round by League One side Leeds United.

The Sunday Mirror is claiming that these events have prompted Ferguson, at the end of the season, to sell Dimitar Berbatov, Anderson, Nani and Zoran Tosic, along with Nemanja Vidic.

According to the tabloid, a “United insider” insists that Berbatov’s future at the club, in particular was in jeopardy, saying: “The four midfield players got a lot of criticism after the Leeds (United) game, but the biggest under-performer was Berbatov.

“People say he’s got a great touch, and that isn’t in doubt, but this game is also about hunger and work rate. To put it bluntly, Dimitar Berbatov doesn’t run around enough for this United team – and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by the people that matter most.”

Manchester United today announced pre-tax profits of just over £48 million, but that figure does include the £80m that the club received from Real Madrid for the sale of Christiano Ronaldo.

A statement on the club’s official website reads:

“Group turnover for the year was £278.5 million (2008: £256.2 million). Operating profit before depreciation and amortization of intangible fixed assets for the year was £91.3 million (2008: £80.4 million). Profit before tax for the year was £48.2 million (2008: Loss of £21.4 million).”