English Premier League

PEARCE EYEING WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY

Pearce - still looking to recruit
Stuart Pearce will hunt for bargains until the transfer window finally slams shut on Thursday.

The Manchester City boss has already signed seven players this summer, although a combination of injury and red tape mean Didier Hamann, Andreas Isaksson and Hatem Trabelsi have yet to feature for the Blues.

However, despite Saturday's stirring win over Arsenal and confirmation Sylvain Distin will remain at Eastlands for the final year of his contract, Pearce knows there are still issues to be addressed, notably on the left-hand side of midfield.

Lens' Olivier Thomert, who can operate on the left or up front, continues to be strongly linked with City, although any deal is initially likely to be done on a loan basis.

"The chairman has finished his spending," said Pearce. "But I haven't.

"We are still unbalanced in the sense we do not have a left-sided midfield player.

"It is something we have been trying to address and will continue to do so until Thursday but it has been difficult because of the budget situation and the availability of players."

Pearce asked Georgios Samaras to fill the role during City's first two games, then turned to Darius Vassell for the Arsenal clash.

He has nothing but praise for the duo but admits the situation is hardly ideal.

"The beauty of having a squad of players who want to work for you is the fact that neither Georgios nor Darius questioned what I wanted to do," he said.

"They could argued against it, but they didn't and, under the circumstances, that is very helpful.

"Darius gave his lot for the team on Saturday and against Arsenal, you need unselfishness like that.

"But the left-sided situation is one we will have to address."

REYES: I DO WANT TO LEAVE ARSENAL

Reyes - seeking a move back to Spain
Arsenal forward Jose Antonio Reyes does not expect to play for the club again and intends to secure a return to Spain this week.

The former Sevilla player claims he would be satisfied with a return to his old club, however a transfer to either Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid before Thursday night's deadline appears more likely.

"I've heard lots of rumours, but the one thing that is clear is that I want to leave London," said Reyes.

"I want to come back to Spain. I will not play again in England. I'm thankful to Arsenal for the way that they have treated me."

Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein confirmed last week that an offer from Atletico for the 22-year-old had been rejected.

Dein said: "He is an Arsenal player and may very well remain an Arsenal player."

Reports in Spain said Atletico had made a bid for Reyes in the region of £8.1million.

"There has been some talk about Atletico and they are constructing a strong team," said Reyes, quoted in The Times.

"I just want to return. I would say yes to Atletico, yes to Real Madrid and yes to Seville."

UNITED LINKED WITH TREZEGUET RAID

David Trezeguet - linked with Manchester United
Manchester United are reportedly considering a late bid to sign Juventus striker David Trezeguet.

The France international is now available for transfer following the Serie A match-fixing scandal which resulted in the club's demotion to Serie B and according to L'Equipe both United and Lyon are in the hunt along with a host of Italian clubs.

And rumours of his exit increased further on Sunday when he was left out of Juve's line-up which lost to Napoli on penalities in the Coppa Italia.

Although Trezeguet had been struggling for match fitness prior to the game, the result has now ended their hopes of qualifying for European competition next season and this could well prompt the likes of United to move in.

Sir Alex Ferguson is still searching for a replacement for Ruud van Nistelrooy, who left Old Trafford for Real Madrid in the summer, and Trezeguet is thought to be at the top of his wish list with the transfer deadline day looming.

United will have to act fast to sign the 28-year-old before Thursday but with the club top of the Premiership with three wins out of three there seems no need to panic.

Reports suggest Trezeguet could cost as much as £17million and despite claims from Juventus officials, he is yet to publicly declare his commitment to the Bianconeri for the coming season.

HAMMERS BOSS KEEN TO RECRUIT

Pardew - trying to secure new signings
West Ham manager Alan Pardew insists he will still try to strengthen his squad before the closure of the transfer window on Thursday.

And Fulham's French midfielder Steed Malbranque is understood to be on his wishlist still despite a groin injury that could sideline him for three months.

Malbranque has refused to sign a new deal at Craven Cottage, where he has been frozen out of first-team plans by manager Chris Coleman.

The club are now looking to sell the former Lyon player before he leaves on a free transfer at the end of the season.

Malbranque has already turned down one West Ham approach and refused to even consider an offer from Middlesbrough, but he could now be available for a knock-down £3million.

Pardew said: "It's going to be a difficult week because everyone knows there's only a limited amount of time left.

"Both the buyers and sellers are hedging their bets and that makes it awkward for the Premiership clubs who are trying to secure the faces that can take clubs forward and strengthen squads.

"We're all in the same boat and we'll have to address everything again when we get back to work on Tuesday morning. Right now, I can't give any update on our position."

Coleman revealed: "There is a club - and clubs - interested (in Malbranque). We are close to a deal with one club. The sooner Steed signs for someone else the better for this club."

WENGER LOOKS ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

Arsene Wenger - remaining upbeat
Arsene Wenger insists there are plenty of reasons to be cheerful despite Arsenal's atrocious start to the Premiership season.

One point from their opening two games represents the Gunners' worst opening to a top- flight campaign in 14 years.

Although they do have a match in hand, Arsenal are already eight points adrift of early pacesetters Manchester United and with continuing uncertainty surrounding the futures of key duo Ashley Cole and Jose Antonio Reyes, there appears to be little immediate cause for optimism at the Emirates Stadium.

Wenger though can see positive signs. And he has words of reassurance for those Arsenal fans wondering how their club can balance the £357million cost of their immaculate new home with maintaining a squad capable of mounting a plausible title threat.

"We have only played two matches," he said.

"We will come back into the race, don't worry.

"We always knew we could suffer a little bit after the World Cup, especially because we had to play the Champions League qualifiers.

"We have had a disappointing start but there is a lot of hope in the way we play and mentally, we have to be strong enough to push that through."

Wenger could legitimately point to bad luck at crucial times as a factor in his side's first defeat to City since 1991.

Thierry Henry was twice denied by Nicky Weaver's legs and also hit a post, Kolo Toure headed against the bar and Robin van Persie had a plausible penalty appeal turned down just before the break.

But that would be to ignore some glaring inadequacies, notably a lack of steel in midfield, new signing Tomas Rosicky's failure to make an impact and, worryingly, City's ability to exploit the weaknesses of Cole's current stand-in Justin Hoyte.

"When you are not as sharp as you should be, you see it most in the final third," continued Wenger.

"We have to recognise that physically, we are not ready yet.

"But I hope this defeat will not affect our belief and confidence. We just need to keep going. We will soon start winning these type of games."

At least by the time Arsenal turn out again - against Middlesbrough on September 9 - the immediate futures of Cole and Reyes will be resolved.

It could also be that Wenger has landed Argentina international Javier Mascherano from Corinthians to give some much-needed physical presence in midfield.

The Gunners were certainly outmanoeuvred by Joey Barton and Ousmane Dabo in that area of the pitch against City as the Blues emerged from their own tortuous week to belatedly put a smile on their own supporters' faces.

Barton was his usual energetic self, capping a fine performance by netting the decisive 41st-minute penalty.

He was not the only City hero though. Weaver was superb, while Sylvain Distin proved how important his decision to reject a move to Middlesbrough could be for the Blues with a towering display alongside equally impressive central-defensive partner, and his replacement as captain, Richard Dunne.

"The pair of them are colossal for us, in stature, ability and presence," said Pearce.

"I have worked with these boys for a number of years now, both as their manager and coach and still feel, as a pair, they can go a lot of improvement.

"Swapping the captaincy from one to the other has brought about more improvement and hopefully there is more to come."

Pearce will spend the week looking for a left-sided midfielder to balance his team, while also reintegrating Ben Thatcher into his squad.

The former Welsh international was advised by his manager to stay away for the Arsenal game and a disciplinary meeting later this week will determine the extent of the internal punishment for his outrageous challenge on Pedro Mendes.

But, one thing is for certain, Pearce is convinced it will never happen again.

"This has shaken Ben to the boots," said Pearce.

"He will accept any punishment coming to him; from the FA, the club or anyone else.

"Only time will tell whether he has learned his lesson or not. But I have looked him in the eye and I believe he has."

Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal

Dabo gets stuck in for the home side
Joey Barton blasted Manchester City out of their own misery and pitched Arsenal into despair at Eastlands.

No goals, bottom of the table, submerged in bad publicity following Ben Thatcher's disgraceful conduct and their neighbours from Old Trafford blazing a trail at the top.

As opening weeks go, things could hardly have been any worse for City and their supporters.

Yet the Blues emerged from the gloom to produce their most purposeful and effective performance since they tumbled out of last season's FA Cup to West Ham in March, with Barton - himself a man with plenty of previous - providing the finish, rattling home a 41st-minute penalty.

Barton could not quite be described as the hero. There were plenty of others who deserved the accolade as well, notably central defensive duo Richard Dunne and Sylvain Distin, plus goalkeeper Nicky Weaver, who twice brilliantly denied Thierry Henry with his legs.

City's collective defiance came at the expense of an Arsenal side who, if the Barclays Premiership must have a crisis club, are now it.

One point from two games, and already eight adrift of Manchester United, Arsene Wenger's men appear to be a pale shadow of the side which reached last season's Champions League Final.

And, if Blackburn manage to avoid defeat against Chelsea, the Gunners will spend the two-week international break sitting embarrassingly in the Premiership relegation zone.

Given the publicity surrounding Thatcher and the fact City were entertaining a side they had not beaten in 15 years, as backdrops go, it was about as bleak as the darkest, dullest, wet and miserable Manchester day.

Yet, summoning up all the tenacity and battling spirit for which manager Stuart Pearce is famed, they took the fight to their illustrious opponents without ever crossing the line of acceptability Thatcher so clearly transgressed on Wednesday.

True, Weaver did make two excellent feet-first saves to deny Henry, who also blasted a shot against the post and Kolo Toure's injury-time header did bounce off the top of City's crossbar, but it would be hard to deny the hosts their interval lead.

Barton was his usual all-action self in midfield, while Dunne and Distin stood firm as Henry threatened mayhem.

Crucially, it appeared Pearce had also identified a glaring weakness in Arsenal's defence.

In setting his side up for a rugby union-style kick-off and then berating Weaver for launching a long ball to the Arsenal right in the opening minutes, Pearce clearly felt the inexperience of Gunners left-back Justin Hoyte offered an avenue of opportunity.

By the time Hoyte conceded the fateful penalty, his lack of positional nous had already been exposed once by a high, crossfield pass.

On that occasion, Sinclair slipped past him and fed Barton, whose precise strike rolled inches wide.

Fearing the worst when Sinclair seized possession in similar circumstances but inside the area four minutes before the break, Hoyte simply hauled the former England international back.

Barton, once again a City hero after resolving his much-publicised contract dispute, kept his nerve from the spot, even if his shot did cannon in off the underside of the bar.

The Blues would have been in front before that anyway had Bernardo Corradi's downward header had the power to prevent Jens Lehmann getting across to make a low save.

Given the ever-decreasing margin for error in completing successful title quests, Arsenal could hardly afford to lose any more ground, even at this ridiculously early stage of the season.

It was fairly obvious the Gunners' attacking momentum should increase throughout the second period, yet Henry's best efforts produced no reward as Dunne and Distin continued their heroics.

Behind them, Weaver remained calm and kept his concentration, although even he was forced to breathe a sigh of relief when Robin van Persie's angled effort flew past both him and his left-hand post.

In the end, with new signing Tomas Rosicky showing none of the verve which made him one of the most eye-catching players at the World Cup, Wenger called on Theo Walcott.

But the teenager could not conjure up any magic and Wenger badly needs to find some inspiration before the transfer window shuts next week.

Teams

Man City Weaver, Richards, Dunne, Distin, Jordan, Sinclair,Barton, Dabo, Vassell (Danny Mills 80), Dickov (Samaras 86),Corradi (Miller 90).

Subs Not Used: Hart, Ireland.

Booked: Jordan.

Goals: Barton 41 pen.

Arsenal Lehmann, Eboue (Flamini 83), Toure, Djourou, Hoyte,Hleb (Adebayor 76), Fabregas, Silva, Rosicky (Walcott 66),Van Persie, Henry.

Subs Not Used: Almunia, Cygan.

Booked: Van Persie.

Att: 40,699

Ref: U Rennie (S Yorkshire).

WIGAN STILL ON THE RISE - HESKEY

Heskey - Wigan on the up
Emile Heskey may still be getting his bearings at Wigan, but he feels the club is only heading in one direction.

Playing in his 500th career club match, Wigan's £5.5million record signing scored his first goal since February to get Wigan off the mark in the new season.

Limping off with an ankle injury late on put a slight dampener on the occasion, but with a two-week international break Heskey should be fit again for Wigan's next game at Portsmouth on September 9.

And if he reproduces the form he showed against the Royals, it might not be long before such 'breaks' see him back in the England fold.

At least he knows his way around the international set-up, unlike the JJB Stadium as he had to ask the way to the players' lounge after the game in order to celebrate the victory with his new team-mates.

For now, as Heskey put it, both he and the club are "off and running" and with the hope there is plenty to more come.

"Saturday was a good day for me, and the club as well," said the 28-year-old striker.

"For me, it was good to get my first goal for the club, but you have to put in the performance as well, and I felt I did that."

Heskey certainly made his presence felt against boss Steve Coppell's Premiership newcomers, not only scoring the goal but also hitting the crossbar and seeing another effort land on top of the net.

One of six new players in the side, Heskey feels Wigan have quickly found their stride, with the suggestion they can more than match the 10th-place finish of last season.

"I've been made to feel welcome, as have the other new players, and we've all settled fairly well," added Heskey, who joined the Latics from Birmingham seven weeks ago.

"You always want a challenge, and that's why I came here. It's a club on the up, pretty much like when I was at Leicester, and I want to be part of it.

"We definitely feel we can build on what was achieved here last season. Hopefully we can push our way up the league."

As for adding to his 43 caps, with his last now over two years ago, Heskey replied: "Who knows?

"It's about playing with confidence, that's the main thing, scoring goals and putting in good performances."

Manager Paul Jewell certainly believes Heskey has all the attributes to play again for England, as does captain Arjan de Zeeuw.

"I think Emile would love to be an international player again," said the Dutch centre-back.

"To do that he has to score goals for us and play well, and I'm hoping he is going to do that. He has certainly made a good start.

"In pre-season he played well and we're quite confident he will continue to do well.

"The one thing I'll say about Emile, he works his socks off for the team. He doesn't give defenders a moment's peace.

"I know he's had his critics, but you are always going to get critics if you've been in the international set-up.

"It's easy for people to give you stick when you are not doing what they want you to do.

"But you have to give him some credit because even when it doesn't go for him, he never lets off. He keeps on going, while he's a good lad to have in the dressing room. He's a great signing for us."

Wigan were almost left to rue their missed chances in the 89th minute when Leroy Lita was one-on-one with Chris Kirkland, only for the England goalkeeper to make a point-blank save that clinched the three points.

It is now back-to-back defeats for Coppell's side after opening up with their remarkable win over Middlesbrough last weekend, but the manager is demanding no snap judgements are made.

"I felt we looked capable of getting back into the match, especially with Leroy's chance at the end, but it wasn't to be," he said.

"On another day that might have gone in, but we're left with three points from three games and have to accept it.

"We might have deserved more, but we haven't got more, although it's too early to draw any conclusions after three matches."

YAKUBU HOPES FOR EURO RETURN

Yakubu - full of confidence
Middlesbrough's Aiyegbeni Yakubu is convinced he and fellow striker Mark Viduka can fire the club back into Europe.

The 23-year-old Nigerian international heads into Monday night's Barclays Premiership clash with former club Portsmouth full of confidence after opening his season's account at Reading and playing his part in another famous victory over Chelsea.

Yakubu, who joined Boro in a £7.5million move from Fratton Park last summer, helped his side reach the UEFA Cup final last season in just their second European campaign.

However, that extended run came at the expense of their Premiership form, and a 14th-place finish means there can be no repeat this time around.

But having had a taste of the big time, Yakubu is determined to experience it again as soon as possible as Gareth Southgate's men target a first ever top-six finish.

He said: "I'm hoping we will perform better in the league this year. I think we can improve from last season and get back into European football.

"We have a different manager who brings a different mentality and different thinking.

"We, the players, have to back him both on and off the pitch. I really hope it goes well for him."

Alexandre Gaydamak's arrival at Pompey has handed manager Harry Redknapp the financial power to target big-money signings, although Boro were quick to warn off the south coast club amid speculation they were ready to break the bank to recapture Yakubu.

The former Maccabi Haifa frontman came agonisingly close to becoming the first Boro player since Fabrizio Ravanelli to reach the 20-goal mark in a season.

He claimed 19 by the middle of March, but then failed to find the back of the net again and eventually lost his place in the starting line-up as Viduka partnered Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in the UEFA Cup final.

Yakubu, while acknowledging he could not have played every game, admitted then manager Steve McClaren's decision to rotate his strikers throughout the campaign might have had an effect.

He said: "I struggled at times last year with the squad rotation. With Europe, you can never play four games in one week, it's impossible.

"But at the same time, it's difficult because it can upset your rhythm. You play one and rest two, or play two and rest two, and it's frustrating.

"I really enjoyed my football last year. It didn't feel like it was my first season, I felt like I'd been here for many years. Everyone made me feel very welcome.

"I'm happy here and want to keep doing my job."

Hasselbaink's departure to Charlton and Southgate's focus on recruiting defenders this summer - he has, however, been linked with Preston striker David Nugent - has left Yakubu and Viduka as the first-choice partnership.

Viduka started on the bench against Chelsea and saw Yakubu miss two gilt-edged chances, although the African is convinced the pair can cause real problems for opposition defenders.

Yakubu said: "As a striker, I want to get 20 goals, that's the target I set myself. All I want to do is score goals.

"Mark Viduka is a fantastic player. I love training with him and we are working very well together.

"I really think we can produce something special this season and help fire the club back into Europe where they belong."

BULLARD WORTH THE WAIT - COLEMAN

Bullard nets the winner against the Blades
Fulham beat a host of rivals to the signing of Jimmy Bullard with boss Chris Coleman refusing to let him leave the training ground until he had agreed to join the club.

And Coleman has already seen enough from the opening three games of the season to know he has signed a "special" talent who bucks the trend of Barclays Premiership players.

Bullard curled home a sublime 40th-minute free-kick to seal Fulham's first victory of the season and pick up his second successive man of the match award.

The 27-year-old, nicknamed Margaret Thatcher because of his similarity to the former Prime Minster, had also snatched a late point by converting a 90th minute penalty against Bolton in midweek.

Even at this early stage he has emerged as a fans' favourite with his commitment, industry and flair earning the approval of Cottagers supporters.

His appearance in a Fulham shirt is the result of three years of enquiries - he finally left Wigan for £2.5million in June - and Coleman insists he has already "surpassed all expectations".

"I said let's get Jimmy to the training ground and he can't leave until he signs. He was a player I was hell-bent on getting," he said.

"We weren't going to lose out on him because I knew how important he would be for us. I've wanted him for three years.

"He played for Wigan when they were in the league below. It was my first season and we went to Wigan in the Carling Cup.

"I picked an under-strength team I thought was good enough to win. We lost and Bully ran the show. It was the first the first time I'd seen him and we've tracked him since.

"We enquired before and it was a no-go but we exercised a clause in his contract whereby we get him before four or five other clubs.

"We had him first and I didn't want him going back up to Wigan without signing for us first.

"I knew there were half a dozen other Premiership clubs after him but we got there first. Three of the clubs were bigger than us.

"It was a case of making him understand how important he would be to us. He likes to be loved and he'll get that from the Fulham supporters.

"Sometimes players come in from other clubs and they disappoint you and you end up thinking they're not as good as you first thought.

"But from the first training session Bully surpassed all expectations. I knew immediately this lad is special.

"It's not just his free-kicks - it's his all round play. He reminds me of players from 15-20 years ago because he loves playing football. He's not here for the money, he's in it for the game.

"He's getting stronger and better as he gets older. He's not your typical Premiership footballer, either. He'll go fishing by himself on the weekend. He won't be driving around in a Bentley."

Bullard was the difference between the two sides at Craven Cottage yesterday, although Fulham created more throughout.

Tomasz Radzinski should have made it 2-0 near the end but underlined his lack of confidence in front of goal by squaring instead of shooting while Bullard and Collins John hit the post.

Sheffield United missed one golden opportunity at the death when David Sommeil snatched at his shot and boss Neil Warnock was forced to mark the return from a two-match touchline ban with defeat.

"I'm enjoying it in the Premiership. It's a great league to be in and it will be a great challenge for me," said Warnock.

"We've had two tough away games in a row and come away with nothing. We got a point against Liverpool which nobody expected us to get so really we've got one point more than many people predicted.

"Three of our next four games are at home and we'll try to win them all. We'll stay up on our home form, if we do beat the drop."

RIO SET TO MISS ENGLAND QUALIFIERS

Ferdinand trudges off at Vicarage Road
Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand is likely to miss England's opening two Euro 2008 qualifiers after suffering a suspected broken toe.

Ferdinand sustained the injury while trying to pass the ball out of defence during the closing stages United's 2-1 win at Watford in the Barclays Premiership today, and is to have a scan tomorrow.

The result kept United at the top of the table thanks to three straight wins in as many matches - but it is bad news for new England boss Steve McClaren, who is preparing for the qualifier at home to Andorra next Saturday and in Macedonia the following Wednesday.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson told the club's in-house TV station, MUTV: "We think Rio might have a broken toe, so I don't think he will be joining up with England.

"We will send him for a scan in the morning, but it looks as though it's a broken toe."

ROYALS SIGN BIKEY

Steve Coppell - pleased with Bikey signing
Reading have completed the loan signing of Cameroon defender Andre Bikey from Lokomotiv Moscow.

The 21-year-old will spend the rest of the season at the Madejski Stadium with the Royals having the option of wrapping up a permanent deal next summer.

The move comes despite Bikey's sending-off when on trial for the club on their pre-season trip to Sweden.

Manager Steve Coppell told the club's official website: "He did well in Sweden until he blotted his copybook by getting sent off in the last game, but we feel that happened because he was so determined to impress.

"He's a Cameroon international with good experience so we hopes he takes the opportunity and plays a full role in our season."

Bikey will link up with his Cameroon team-mates for a friendly against Rwanda next week.

McCLAREN WANTS TO BUILD 'CLUB ENGLAND'

McClaren - admirer of Mourinho
Steve McClaren will use Chelsea as the model for his 'Club England'.

The new national coach spent time at the Blues' training headquarters this week as he checked on the fitness of midfielder Joe Cole ahead of the Euro 2008 qualifiers against Andorra and Macedonia.

Even during his time as Middlesbrough boss, McClaren was an admirer of Chelsea counterpart Jose Mourinho, and he admits he wants to build a similar ethos with England to that which the Portuguese has established at Stamford Bridge.

McClaren said: "That's the most important thing to him. Since he came into this country, that's all he's talked about, the team ethic, the work ethic of the players.

"You are not just taking a model from Chelsea, that's the model of great teams. They play as teams.

"It's interesting to watch the great teams play, and that's what we want to be.

"I stressed that before and after our performance against Greece: we played as a team, and we have to maintain that."

McClaren revealed he will maintain close contacts with the clubs in an effort to discover what makes each of his players tick.

He said: "I think it's key. There is a lot you can learn from the managers.

"They (the players) come with England and you have them for whatever spell and you talk and you chat in the England context.

"But you don't get to know them like the managers and the coaches at the clubs get to know them.

"They get to know everything about them, every small detail. You watch them play and yes, you pick up certain things.

"But what I want is a club atmosphere, a 'Club England'. The only way you can develop that is by communication, is by talking to the people who are working with them and talking to the players continuously and get a feel for them.

"Sometimes with England, it's too small a period to really get to know everybody, whereas if you can go out to the clubs and speak to the managers and coaches, you can find out little quirks about a player, little things you did not realise."

McClaren announced his first squad for a competitive game on Friday, and there were recalls for Andrew Johnson and Michael Carrick as Gary Neville and Joe Cole missed out through injury.

But Johnson's return meant there was no place for 17-year-old Theo Walcott despite his excellent start to the season at Arsenal.

However, McClaren revealed the teenager has a future at senior international level, although not until he becomes more established with the Gunners.

Asked about Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill's glowing assessment of the youngster after his side's 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium, McClaren said: "Isn't it always the same, that everybody builds everybody up, and the high expectations on teams, on individuals, are beyond proportion?

"Theo has got great potential - that's the key word, it's potential.

"He has to become a regular at Arsenal and break through and consistently perform at that level.

"He's at a big club, he's surrounded by big players and that's when you grow not just physically, technically, tactically, but also mentally.

"That's something he has to develop. He has to mature, and he's at the right place to do that.

"He has had a lot to contend with. He was training with us and he was excellent in training.

"He was a treat to work with. But he's only 17."

England launch their campaign against minnows Andorra next Saturday, but McClaren will be taking nothing for granted.

He said: "This is only my second game, it's a big game. It's a qualifier and we need to get off to a good start.

"We need to continue the kind of work and the performance which we saw against Greece. That's the key for me.

"It doesn't matter. Andorra, Brazil, whoever the team is, we have to perform."

SPURS LODGE ANOTHER DOWNING BID

Stewart Downing - Spurs transfer target
Tottenham coach Martin Jol has confirmed the club have made another bid for Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing.

Spurs are long-time admirers of the England star and Boro rejected one bid from the north London side in the summer.

But Spurs are now understood to have offered £10million for the player and are currently waiting for an answer from Middlesbrough.

Jol, speaking after Saturday's disappointing 2-0 home defeat by Everton, said: "We made a very good bid for him. Our highest bid to be honest.

"I have to talk with the chairman later on about it. Today you could see against 10 men you have to stretch them. But we could not do that.

"He is the number one player we want. We want the best and for us he is the best player."

WOODGATE SET FOR LOAN DEAL

Woodgate - injury nightmare in Madrid
Middlesbrough are hopeful of luring Jonathan Woodgate back to the Barclays Premiership after he revealed he will spend the season on loan in England.

The Real Madrid star has suffered an injury nightmare during his two years at the Bernabeu and is desperate to prove his fitness.

Boro, former club Newcastle and Liverpool have been linked with the 26-year-old and

Gareth Southgate is hoping the Middlesbrough-born defender will opt for his home-town club.

Woodgate said: "I am going to go on loan for a year and I will know which team I am going to join in the next few days.

"I like all the English teams that want me and it would be a positive step to go back.

"I need to play games to show I am strong and completely recovered."

Newcastle has been repeatedly touted as a temporary destination for Woodgate, but his injury history is a concern.

He was a huge hit at St James' Park following his £9million move from Leeds in January 2003, but his £13.4million switch to Real came after a torn thigh muscle ended his spell on Tyneside in the treatment room.

Boro have been searching for defensive reinforcements since Southgate's retirement, and with their bid for Robert Huth having fallen through and Sylvain Distin failing to agree personal terms, they are considering alternatives.

It is understood they have made an inquiry and are awaiting an answer.

GUNNERS READY TO WAVE COLE GOODBYE

Wenger: Making plans without Cole in mind
Arsenal chief Arsene Wenger admits he is 'planning for life without Ashley Cole' after 'opening the door' for his move to Chelsea.

The Gunners remain in talks with their London rivals over the protracted transfer of England full-back Cole, with Wenger having lodged a formal bid for Blues defender William Gallas.

The Gunners manager, however, insisted: "Do not think that we do not have the money to buy anyone if nobody goes out, that is not true.

"It [buying] would be less needed [if no-one left]. But I can still buy.

"I can buy in January, I can buy now.

"You can play a little with the opportunities."

Wenger insisted: "We have enough players; for me we have a team who can challenge for the Championship. We are good enough.

"The unfortunate thing is that we talk more about the players who do not play than the players that do play.

"But the players which play can win us the championship, not the players who do not play."

Wenger has again decided against including Cole, who is fit, for Saturday's trip to Manchester City.

He said: "I have opened the door, so I have to plan for life without him.

"After August 31, I will assess the situation.

"We will see what happens then - but we will do what is best for the club."

ENGLAND RECALL FOR JOHNSON

Andrew Johnson - back in the England fold
Steve McClaren has turned to Andrew Johnson to solve England's striker shortage.

Johnson is back in the international squad for the Euro 2008 qualifiers against Andorra and Macedonia.

The £8.6million Everton striker has not played for his country for more than a year but he has won a recall because Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen and Dean Ashton are all missing.

Michael Carrick returns to the squad after injury but McClaren is without injured defenders Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher.

Neville is out with a calf problem and Carragher damaged his ankle ligaments on the opening day of the Premiership season against Sheffield United.

Joe Cole hoped to be fit but, after a discussion with Jose Mourinho, McClaren has accepted the Chelsea midfielder will not be ready.

England take on minnows Andorra at Old Trafford a week on Saturday and then travel to Skopje to face Macedonia on Wednesday September 6.

McClaren, who named his squad today, is expected to start with Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe up front.

Charlton's Darren Bent keeps his place in the squad but Johnson has the chance to add to his two caps.

Johnson, 25, said: "When I joined Everton I said that it would be good for my international ambitions and that's been proved right.

"Every player wants to represent his country and I am no different in that. I just hope that now I can actually play a part in the two games.

"I am happy with my form at Everton and I have to thank the lads who have made it very easy for me to settle in."

Sven-Goran Eriksson named Johnson among his stand-by players for the World Cup finals but the striker has not actually played for his country in more than a year.

He won his first England cap as a substitute in a friendly against Holland in February last year and then started against the USA on the summer tour to America.

Eriksson ignored him as he languished in the Championship with Crystal Palace and then surprisingly called him onto the stand-by list.

Johnson scored on his Everton debut against Watford, last weekend, and impressed against Blackburn in midweek, in front of McClaren.

Everton boss David Moyes said: "I am not surprised that Andy has been called up by England.

"He has been in very good form for us, both in pre-season and in the opening two matches in the Premiership.

"He scored a good goal against Watford and looked a constant threat against Blackburn.

"He has a terrific work ethic about him and he deserves his chance at international level."

McClaren spoke to Moyes before making his decision and the England boss said: "Andy deserves his chance in this squad after starting the season well with his new club.

"He's a great lad and a real team player who always gives everything."

Rooney is suspended from both games because of his red card in the World Cup quarter-final and McClaren is short of options up front.

Owen will miss most of the season with a knee injury and Ashton broke his ankle on the eve of the friendly against Greece, earlier this month, when McClaren was set to hand him a first cap.

Carrick missed the Greece game with an ankle injury but returned to make his Manchester United debut at Charlton in midweek.

McClaren told thefa.com: "Alex Ferguson says he's been training well and should be ready for the two games.

"It's a shame his start at United has been disrupted but he's a top-quality player and a great passer of the ball."

Gary Neville's absence with a calf injury means McClaren must choose between Phil Neville or Luke Young at right-back, although Wes Brown can also play there.

McClaren said: "It's always disappointing to lose someone of Gary's quality and experience.

"He's an important part of the squad but we have good cover in Luke Young and Phil Neville who are very capable deputies."

Theo Walcott and Scott Carson, who both went to the World Cup, are in the under-21 squad.

Squad:Robinson (Tottenham), Kirkland (Liverpool), Foster (Man Utd), A Cole (Arsenal), Young (Charlton), P Neville (Everton), Bridge (Chelsea), Terry (Chelsea), Ferdinand (Man Utd), Brown (Man Utd), Dawson (Tottenham), Lampard (Chelsea), Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Carrick (Man Utd), Gerrard (Liverpool), Jenas (Tottenham), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Richardson (Man Utd), Downing (Middlesbrough), Lennon (Tottenham), Defoe (Tottenham), Bent (Charlton), Johnson (Everton), Crouch (Liverpool)

TEVEZ CLOSE TO ENGLISH MOVE - AGENT

Tevez - could be set for Premiership move
Carlos Tevez's spell at Corinthians could be over after his agent revealed the striker was on the brink of a move to England.

The 22-year-old Argentina international was stripped of the captaincy by new Corinthians coach Emerson Leao and walked out on the club earlier this week.

He is now back in Sao Paulo in a bid to avoid a hefty fine but he has yet to train with the squad.

His agent Adrian Rucco said on Friday: "Tevez is very close to moving to an English club."

Manchester United have been linked with a move for Tevez, while Bayern Munich and AC Milan are also thought to be interested in the striker.

Tevez cost Corinthians a South American record fee of 18million in December 2004.

HAMMERS LINE UP PALERMO CLASH

West Ham face a trip to Sicily
West Ham face a trip to Sicily with a two-legged tie against Palermo in the UEFA Cup first round.

The Hammers, who qualified for Europe by reaching the FA Cup final last season, will face the Serie A side on September 14 and 28.

Newcastle's reward for beating Latvian side Ventspils in the second qualifying round is another trip to the Baltic region to take on Levadia Tallinn of Estonia.

No Estonian side had ever made it past the first qualifying round of any major European tournament before this season, but Levadia booked their trip to the first round proper by beating Dutch side FC Twente.

Rangers' first European game under new manager Paul Le Guen will be against Molde.

The Norwegian club defeated Skonto Riga in the final qualifying round to reach the draw for the first round proper.

And Rangers will be lining up against a familiar face with former Aberdeen striker Arild Stavrum now in charge of the Norwegian club.

Hearts' consolation for missing out on the Champions League is a meeting with Czech side Sparta Prague.

The Jambos were eliminated from Europe's premier club competition in midweek by AEK Athens to parachute into the UEFA Cup.

Blackburn begin their European campaign against Salzburg, while Tottenham take on Slavia Prague.

Derry City, who knocked out Gretna in the second qualifying round, booked themselves a glamour tie against Paris St Germain.

WENGER - ATLETICO OFFER NOT SERIOUS

Reyes - could be staying with Arsenal
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insisted Atletico Madrid's offer for forward Jose Antonio Reyes was "not serious enough to be considered".

Gunners vice-chairman David Dein confirmed the offer for the 22-year-old Spain international had been turned down on Thursday night, and suggested Reyes may stay at the Emirates Stadium this season.

Wenger was equally convinced Atletico were way off meeting Arsenal's valuation of the player.

He told Arsenal TV Online: "Atletico Madrid has not made a serious offer and that offer is not considered at all by us.

"It is not serious enough to be considered."

Dein, speaking at Thursday night's Champions League draw, told Sky Sports News: "He is an Arsenal player and may very well remain an Arsenal player."

Atletico president Enrique Cerezo had earlier confirmed Atletico's firm interest in Reyes.

He stated that Atletico had lodged "an important offer" for Reyes and denied his club would have to offload any players to finance the deal.

Reports in Spain said Atletico had made a bid for Reyes in the region of £8.1million.

However, Arsenal were reported to have placed a £12.2million price tag on the Spain international, who has made no secret of his desire to return to the Primera Liga.

Real Madrid were long seen as the favourites to land the former Sevilla player but their city rivals have stepped up their efforts to bring him to the Vicente Calderon stadium instead.

O'NEILL WELCOMES LERNER ARRIVAL

Martin O'Neill - will discuss transfer budget
Martin O'Neill has welcomed the impending arrival of Randy Lerner as Aston Villa's new owner and will hold talks with the American billionaire in the next couple of days to determine what funds will be available before the transfer window closes.

And the former Celtic boss is hoping Lerner, the owner of NFL side Cleveland Browns, will have complete trust in his judgement when it comes to bringing in new blood.

Lerner has been given the green light to take control of the Midlands club after there were no counter-bids to his £62.6million offer by last Thursday's deadline.

He initially met with O'Neill before he was appointed David O'Leary's successor, but there has been little contact since given the fact there was no guarantee who would take control of Villa.

Now that issue has been decided the pair will meet in the next 48 hours to thrash out their immediate plans.

O'Neill is desperate to bring in new blood before the transfer window closes on August 31, but the timescale means he may have to wait until January to make sizeable purchases.

O'Neill said: "I am delighted that Randy Lerner is going to become the new owner. We had a two-hour meeting about three or four weeks ago and I am pleased he is coming because he has decided Aston Villa are a club worth going for and worth pursuing.

"I have not spoken to him about the strength and weaknesses of the squad because there was no point until the takeover was done and dusted.

"I hope now to have a little chat with him in the next few days about that. I am in a much better position than three weeks ago when I took over in terms of knowing and advising what hopefully needs to happen.

"I think he would like to develop the training ground and that will be terrific but essentially we want to try and strengthen the side with a bit of quality.

"That is something the new owner will hopefully entrust in me and accept the fact I am in a better position to make those judgements than anyone else."

O'Neill insisted he will only bring in players of quality even though Villa are lacking in numbers after the departure this week of Kevin Phillips and Mathieu Berson.

He added: "Making signings is not particularly easy in terms of getting quality players into the squad. I could fill up the squad with a host of players and numerically we are down a bit.

"We do need quality and I will be working very hard to do something about it between now and Thursday."

Villa entertain Newcastle on Sunday and despite collecting four points from their opening two games O'Neill is aware a tough task lies ahead for Villa, particularly after the Magpies signed striker Obafemi Martins for £10m this week.

O'Neill said: "In terms of the start we have made the confidence should have received a big boost and we will go into this next game with less hanging over us.

"But we have a long season ahead and it is a big ask for us at this stage against the Newcastle side buoyed with confidence.

"Newcastle are a wonderful club. They have lost Michael Owen through injury but have spent again on Martins. They deserve credit because they don't want to stand still.

"But I am happy with my players in terms of the willingness to do well even though we have no fantastic strength in depth."

Full-back Jlloyd Samuel is the major injury doubt with the thigh problem sustained during the 2-1 mid-week victory over Reading but Wilfred Bouma is back in training and will be competing with Peter Whittingham for the left-back spot.

Striker Milan Baros is also stepping up his training after a foot problem although he will not be considered until after the international break.

ATTITUDE IS THE KEY - MOURINHO

Chelsea - beaten by Middlesbrough on Wednesday
Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho insists his side must get rediscover the attitude of champions if they are to overcome Blackburn at Ewood Park on Sunday.

Mourinho's side were beaten by two late goals in their midweek clash with Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium and the Portuguese coach made no secret of his unhappiness with his side's attitude.

The Blues now face another tricky away trip and Mourinho wants his side to show the same kind of desire which has made them Barclays Premiership champions for the last two years.

"Middlesbrough was just a good example of how you cannot play away from home, especially in this country where there is always emotion around and the crowd can stimulate the home team," he said.

"We were too passive, reacting just to the score. The point is we know why we were champions twice and it was not with this attitude, that is for sure."

Mourinho's assistant, Steve Clarke, insisted however that the defeat at Middlesbrough was no cause for panic.

Clarke said: "We know where we went wrong. It was a match where we got in front, we controlled from the front and normally when we are in that position, we see the game out very well.

"We didn't do that on Wednesday night for reasons that we think we know and we have addressed. We have to put that into practice and see what the result is on Sunday."

Midfielder Claude Makelele, who played his first game since the World Cup final on Wednesday, also wants to put the Middlesbrough defeat behind him with victory on Sunday.

Makelele said: "It was difficult to lose this game against Middlesbrough, it was a little bit of a joke, but sometimes that is football.

"We have not talked much about this game, it is better to forget it. I think it is better to lose now than in the middle of the season.

"We need to win this game at Blackburn for confidence and because to win the championship, you need to win away. We also need a win before many players go to their national teams."

Chelsea are hoping their injury list improves ahead of the trip north as Petr Cech, Geremi, Robert Huth, Michael Ballack and Joe Cole were all sidelined for the Middlesbrough game and Arjen Robben missed out with a calf strain he collected in the warm-up.

Clarke added: "There are some more players available for the weekend.

"The players that weren't available midweek have trained very, very well this week. One or two are struggling along a bit behind but making progress and that is good for us. There could be one or two extra players in the squad.

"It is important to have all the players fit and well. When you look at the success we've had the last couple of years, a big complement to the type of training that we do and the medical staff we have here, is that we haven't had many players injured.

"Maybe it is because we shortened the pre-season this year and made it more intense, but we have picked up one or two little niggles. It is not like us to carry so many injuries and obviously when those players are out, you miss them."

Blackburn have not enjoyed the best of starts to the new campaign, losing to Portsmouth and drawing at home with Everton.

Having lost Craig Bellamy, now with Liverpool, in attack, Benni McCarthy and Jason Roberts will still present problems for Chelsea.

"They are both powerful and strong," added Clarke. "They will give us different problems than Blackburn with Bellamy would have done. But they will give us problems nonetheless that we have to be prepared for.

"Blackburn had a difficult away game early on, down at Portsmouth where they have spent a bit of money and had high expectations.

"They were very unlucky not to win on Wednesday. A last-minute penalty cost them three points so they know they have to win on Sunday and we know we have to win. That should make for a very good contest."

FERGUSON FUMING OVER BROWN TACKLE

Giggs needed treatment after Brown challenge
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has accused Fulham's Michael Brown of threatening Ryan Giggs' career with a vicious tackle at Old Trafford last weekend.

Television replays showed Brown appear to deliberately stamp on Giggs' leg as the pair tussled for possession by the touchline during United's 5-1 win.

Rreferee Andre Marriner only booked Brown for the tackle, meaning the midfielder will serve no punishment.

At a time when United are without Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes for three games following their dismissals in a pre-season friendly with Porto, Brown's escape, and the prospect Manchester City defender Ben Thatcher will also avoid Football Association punishment for his horror challenge on Pedro Mendes this week, it has only heightened Ferguson's sense of injustice.

"It is not fair," he blasted.

"If you go back a couple of years, Wayne Rooney got a three-match ban for tickling Tal Ben Haim, yet Brown gets away with a career-threatening tackle like that on Ryan Giggs.

"In fairness, it was FIFA who changed the rule to ensure nothing can be done once a referee shows a yellow card and that is something we have to life with.

"But it has to be said, the workings of the FA disciplinary committee is something that will always bemuse us."

PEARCE COULD SUSPEND THATCHER

Thatcher - under fire after horror challenge
Stuart Pearce has refused to rule out the possibility of suspending Ben Thatcher for Saturday's Premiership clash with Arsenal after confirming Manchester City have launched their own inquiry into the Welshman's horror challenge on Pedro Mendes.

Thatcher has been widely condemned for smashing his elbow into Mendes' face at Eastlands on Wednesday, with even Pearce now drastically revising his initial opinion that the incident was only worthy of a yellow card.

Pearce has already spoken to Thatcher once, claiming the defender had received a 'massive wake-up call' after seeing the incident on TV.

However, he will talk with the former Wales international again this morning, as well as chairman John Wardle and chief executive Alistair Mackintosh, before deciding what internal sanctions would be imposed on the 30-year-old.

"What happened on Wednesday was indefensible," said Pearce. "I have to talk with Ben this morning and I also have a meeting with the chairman. Between us we will decide what to do.

"Any form of discipline will be discussed at board level, kept internal and we will move on from there.

"But I can assure everybody, this has hit the player very hard. There is no bravado about him.

"He has gone home, turned the TV and seen the challenge. The more you watch it, the worse it gets."

Pearce did express his hope Greater Manchester Police, who have received numerous complaints over the challenge, do not carry out their threat to launch a criminal action against Thatcher.

"Anything that happens on a football pitch should be governed by the FA and FIFA," he said.

"Once you starting involving the police, the floodgates can open and you could end up with a situation where players are arrested during a game."

Thatcher has already written a letter of apology to Mendes who, thankfully, appears to have suffered no long term damage.

"Ben is distraught by this," said Pearce.

"He now realises just how bad the challenge was and his face was ashen when I spoke to him yesterday.

"He is disgusted with himself and there is no way I, or anyone at my club, can defend it.

"People are having a go at him but, in all honesty, he has not got a leg to stand on."

SPURS IN BEN ARFA TALKS

Ben Arfa - could be heading to White Hart Lane
Spurs are in talks with Lyon about signing teenage winger Hatem Ben Arfa.

The 19-year-old has played only a handful of games for the Frech champions, but does have Champions League experience and has starred for France's youth sides.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas told the club's official website he had met with officials from Spurs, who are applying pressure to sign the pacy youngster.

Aulas said: "I saw the leaders of Tottenham are pressing hard to sign Hatem. It is necessary that we discuss it."

A move could be tied up well before next week's transfer deadline, with Aulas admitting talks are ongoing.

Tottenham have made no secret of their desire to sign a left-winger, with Stewart Downing constantly linked with a move to White Hart Lane from Middlesbrough, while Spurs missed out on Damien Duff who decided to join Newcastle from Chelsea.

BOLTON SMASH CLUB RECORD FOR ANELKA

Anelka - club-record buy for Trotters
Bolton boss Sam Allardyce believes the signing of Nicolas Anelka for £8million shows how ambitious the club are.

Anelka, 27, has arrived from Fenerbahce and will travel to London with Allardyce to meet his new team-mates ahead of the weekend clash with Charlton.

After their run in the UEFA Cup last season, Allardyce wants his side back in Europe and has invested in the controversial French striker to provide the goals.

"It's an unprecedented amount of money for Bolton Wanderers to spend and fully underlines the club's ambition," said Allardyce.

Anelka's career has been littered with trophies - he was part of the squad for France's Euro 2000 triumph - but the striker has never strayed far from controversy.

As a teenager he was one of Arsene Wenger's first signings at Arsenal but by 1999, after helping win the double, it became clear he wanted a move and was transferred to Spanish giants Real Madrid.

He won the Champions League but failed to settle at the Bernabeu and moved back to Paris St Germain before spells at Liverpool, Manchester City and then Turkish side Fenerbahce.

Allardyce has forged a reputation for rescuing careers of players on the wane, and it appears he will need those powers to get the best out of a striker who has struggled to settle at a club since moving from Arsenal.

Allardyce added on official website bwfc.co.uk: "Patience is a virtue, and I am pleased to say that all the waiting and hard-work we've done behind the scenes has paid off.

"Nicolas is a player with an amazing track record in the Premiership; he was born to score goals. His talent and experience will be a valuable asset for us."

Bolton chairman Phil Gartside believes Allardyce is the manager to get the best out of Anelka.

Gartside told Sky Sports News: "He'll have the ability to handle this guy. I met him (Anelka) and was impressed with him as a person, I don't think Sam will have a problem.

"I hope it demonstrates the club's commitment to the success. Sam's not made any secret of his ambitions and he wants to satisfy them here, not anywhere else."

Gartside rejected suggestions Allardyce's passion for the game has dipped since losing out on the England job, and the Trotters chief also revealed the club have been in contact with Fulham over Steed Malbranque.

"We've made no secret that we'll spend some money this year," he added. "We've been careful how we've spent money but it doesn't mean we'll not spend more.

"Sam was disappointed not getting the biggest job in football but there is no talk of him leaving."

ISAKSSON FACING SPELL ON THE SIDELINES

Isaksson - hit by injury blow
Manchester City goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson will miss Sweden's Euro 2008 qualifiers against Latvia and Liechtenstein and has revealed he may be out for up to six weeks with a foot injury.

Isaksson has missed the first two games of the season for his new club after completing a £2million move from Rennes last week, and now needs surgery to remove some loose bone in his right foot.

The 24-year-old will travel to see a specialist in London, and hopes to return to training ahead of City's game against Reading on September 11, but added he could be out much longer.

"The surgeon says I must wait two to three weeks before I can start training again, but if they find anything else wrong in the foot, I may have to rest up to six weeks," Isaksson told the Expressen newspaper.

DUO ARE FITNESS DOUBT FOR JOL

Berbatov - could miss clash with Toffees
Tottenham head coach Martin Jol is sweating on the fitness of midfielder Jermaine Jenas and striker Dimitar Berbatov ahead of their clash with Everton at White Hart Lane on Saturday.

Jenas was unable to train on Thursday after suffering a knock on his toe while Berbatov is nursing an ankle injury.

Both players were on the scoresheet in their 2-0 win over Sheffield United on Tuesday night and Jol remains hopeful they will recover in time.

Jol said: "Berbatov got a knock on his ankle but hopefully he will be OK.

"JJ did not train on Thursday because he had a problem with his toe. We will have to wait and see but hopefully he will be available."

Jenas will be disappointed to miss out after starring in the win over the Blades.

The England international scored his first of the season after 17 minutes when he coolly despatched Berbatov's headed knockdown.

The win was the perfect tonic for Tottenham after their opening-day defeat at Bolton and Jenas declared: "Saturday was tough for us at Bolton so it was good to get back to winning ways.

"We knew Sheffield United would make it difficult for us so we had to get into it quickly and make it hard for them. Not only did we do that, we were brave, got on the ball and created chances.

"The lads are delighted, we've got the three points on the board and can prepare for the next game now."

Meanwhile, Robbie Keane, outstanding during their midweek win, believes Berbatov's goal will give the Bulgaria striker all the confidence he needs.

Berbatov, a £10.8million signing from Bayer Leverkusen, took just seven minutes to score on his home debut.

"It will do his confidence the world of good," Keane said.

"It is important as a striker to get off the mark and full credit to him - hopefully now he can continue it."

Keane's praise for the new striker was echoed by Jenas, who also found time to single out Aaron Lennon for his contribution.

Lennon made the first goal for Berbatov and gave Sheffield United's defence a torrid time all evening.

Jenas added: "Berbatov has been banging them in in pre-season games and in training. It was nice for him to get one in the league - especially in front of our fans at home.

"Aaron has been on fire for a while now and he did exactly what we wanted from him again. He got wide, got at players, managed an assist and was brilliant."

Jol is still without captain Ledley King for the clash with the Toffees.

King has not played this season since undergoing surgery on a cartilage problem.

Although he is back in training, he is unlikely to return for at least another week.

MARTINS LOOKING FOR MAGIC NUMBER

Obafemi Martins - could wear 30 for the Toon
Newcastle's £10million new boy Obafemi Martins went to sleep on Tyneside on Thursday night looking forward to UEFA Cup football and with a big decision to make.

The 21-year-old Nigerian was in the crowd at St James' Park as the Magpies clinched their place in meaningful European competition with a 0-0 draw against Ventspils.

He left with a five-year contract signed and sealed ahead of his unveiling on Friday afternoon, when it will be revealed whether or not he will take over Alan Shearer's number nine shirt.

Delighted boss Glenn Roeder said: "He's thinking about that. He was very successful in the number 30 which he wore at Inter Milan. He scored a lot of goals.

"Players are superstitious - whether he is going to be that superstitious that he wants to wear 30 at Newcastle, I do not know.

"He obviously knows the significance of the number nine at the club. That is available, as we all know, but I still maintain it is the person who wears the shirt, it's not the number.

"I played with and I have seen a lot of number nines at Newcastle who were not particularly good players and did not score many goals.

"I also respect that some of Newcastle's very, very best players did wear the number nine - and we know the last holder of that shirt was probably the best.

"He's going to sleep on it."

Martins may have relished the chance to get on to the pitch last night as his new club totally dominated, but simply could not convert pressure into goals.

James Milner came closest to breaking the deadlock with an 81st-minute free-kick which hit the bar, but a series of near-misses and the stubbornness of keeper Andris Vanins kept the home side at bay.

Newcastle go into the hat for the draw for the first round proper in Monaco today, and while Roeder was disappointed not to have won on the night, he was happy with the performance, and particularly those of central defenders Steven Taylor and Titus Bramble.

Roeder said: "I felt the defence, particularly the two central defenders, were really on their game and really concentrating 100 per cent the whole the time.

"We are working ever-so hard on those two in particular, Taylor and Bramble, who I think have got the makings of a very good partnership.

"I like working with them. I think they are two very good central defenders. At times, concentration has let them down, but not tonight.

"They dealed with any threat very easily and swept everything up to the extent that Steve Harper, who was so looking forward to this game, did not really have too much to do."

CARRICK PREPARED TO BE PATIENT

Carrick - might have to wait for first start
Michael Carrick accepts he may have to wait for his first Manchester United start.

Sir Alex Ferguson spent £18.6million to lure the stylish midfielder north from Tottenham this summer, only for him to suffer an ankle injury in the pre-season clash with Ajax that ruled him out of the Premiership opener against Fulham last weekend.

After making a quicker-than-expected recovery, Carrick was able to make his debut as a second-half substitute at Charlton on Wednesday night.

However, even though Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney are missing through suspension, with Darren Fletcher capping a man-of-the-match display with United's opener in their three-goal romp at the Valley, it appears unlikely Ferguson will elevate Carrick from the bench.

"I have not played a lot of football in pre-season," the 25-year-old told BBC Radio Manchester.

"I had one game, then got injured in the second.

"At least I have given myself something to build on now. I will train for the next few days but after that, it depends on what the manager wants."

Ferguson initially felt Carrick would not be fit enough to play until after the forthcoming international break.

But Carrick has made rapid progress from his ankle ligament problem and insists he was not putting himself at risk with his appearance in United's second straight win.

"The injury has improved pretty quickly," he said.

"It has felt fine in the last few days, so we just thought 'Why not?'

"I wanted to get on the pitch sooner rather than later and it is good to get that first game out of the way."

The Red Devils had virtually wrapped up the win by the time Carrick made his entrance, although he did come close to setting Ole Gunnar Solskjaer up before the Norwegian eventually netted his first senior goal since September 2003.

Solskjaer's strike was United's eighth of the campaign, twice as many as any of their top-flight rivals have managed.

The flying start has already seem them establish a cushion over main title contenders Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal, with Carrick admitting all targets have been met so far.

"We have had a great start," he observed.

"We wanted to pick up plenty of points in our first few games and in that sense, we could not have done any more."

MARTINS ARRIVES FOR MEDICAL

Obafemi Martins - nearing his Toon transfer
Inter Milan striker Obafemi Martins arrived on Tyneside today with a view to completing his £10million move to Newcastle.

The 21-year-old Nigeria international flew in to undergo a medical and finalise his deal as manager Glenn Roeder's pursuit of a replacement for Alan Shearer neared its conclusion.

Martins is expected to be in the crowd at St James' Park for this evening's UEFA Cup qualifier against Latvian side Ventspils, and could go straight into the squad for the Barclays Premiership trip to Aston Villa on Sunday.

He will join former Inter colleague Emre at the club.

Club officials were in Italy yesterday as Newcastle pushed home their interest in a player Roeder has pursued throughout the summer.

Roeder said: "There has been a lot of speculation. Along with Martins, there have probably been a dozen other strikers who were allegedly coming to the club during the summer.

"But he has always been the man I wanted. That was the one I targeted, I wanted the pace.

"So for all the speculation, I knew who I was after."

Chairman Freddy Shepherd is currently pursuing his manager's remaining targets with Wayne Bridge, who played in Chelsea's 2-1 defeat at Middlesbrough last night, and Thomas Gravesen on that list.

And it has emerged in the wake of Jean-Alain Boumsong's departure for Juventus that the Magpies could be ready to revive their interest in Chelsea's Robert Huth.

Boro thought they had got the Germany international during the summer before he failed a medical, and although they still hope to take him on loan, they could now face competition.

BOSS: XAVIER HAS 'SERVED HIS TIME'

Xavier - served a one-year ban
Gareth Southgate today launched a charm offensive as he paved the way for Abel Xavier's return to Middlesbrough.

The former Portuguese international was at the Riverside Stadium last night to see the club, who terminated his contract after he failed a drugs test, defeat Chelsea 2-1.

Southgate revealed Xavier asked to train with Boro, and has been given permission, which could eventually lead to his return to football.

Southgate said: "The situation is that Abel has approached us with regard to coming and training with us.

"Obviously, everybody is aware that he had a one-year ban. Middlesbrough as a club and myself as a person do not condone the taking of drugs in sport in any way, so it's a situation we have contemplated long and hard.

"But Abel has protested his innocence throughout this. He feels it's a situation which is more a case of negligence rather than trying to cheat.

"There is clearly something not quite right with the case because FIFA have shortened his ban to a year, so they clearly feel there has been a certain injustice.

"Whether he is innocent or guilty, he has had a year's ban, he has served his time and myself and the club feel that people deserve the opportunity to rebuild their lives or rebuild their careers in a situation like that.

"So we have offered him an opportunity to come and train with us to get fit again rather than doing that on his own at this stage, and that's the position we are in."

Xavier, who denied the charges against him, was initially banned for 18 months after testing positive for a a prohibited substance after a UEFA Cup clash with Skoda Xanthi last September.

He failed with an appeal against the decision, but later had his punishment reduced.

Meanwhile, Southgate returned to the business of trying to strengthen his squad today as the euphoria of last night's victory over the champions began to subside.

It is understood the club held further talks with Manchester City defender Sylvain Distin, but he looks set to see out the remaining year on his contract at Eastlands.

Asked if he expects to have added further new faces to the squad by the time the transfer window closes next week, Southgate said: "Yes, I do.

"Yes, I am confident that we will have added to the squad by this time next week.

"Then my phone bill will go down and I will be able to get on with my life."

Southgate's management career is still in its infancy but striker Mark Viduka, who started last night's game on the bench but came off it to score a late winner, admitted he had got it right.

Viduka said: "Gareth explained to me before the way we were playing and I agreed with him.

"I think Aiyegbeni Yakubu was the man to use in that formation - he plays very well by himself up front and I understood that.

"Nobody likes it, but I wasn't angry, I just wanted to get on."

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho left the Riverside empty-handed again, but admitting Southgate deserved to have got one over on him.

He said: "I just gave him my congratulations, and if he reads the Press, he will know I think they deserved to win.

"From me, there are no complaints - a good referee, opponent, fair play, no mistakes, no stupid penalties. Chelsea did not deserve to win."

HENRY STILL SHAKING OFF THE RUST

Henry - not ready yet
Thierry Henry knows there is plenty more to come from both him and Arsenal this season.

The Gunners secured a place in this afternoon's draw for the group stages of the Champions League with a 5-1 aggregate victory over Dinamo Zagreb.

Although the final scoreline was a convincing one with much of the hard work done in Croatia a fortnight ago after a 3-0 first-leg win, it was a laboured performance by Arsene Wenger's side at the Emirates Stadium.

With the likes of Henry and Gilberto rested to the bench, Arsenal were slow out of the blocks and soon trailed to an instinctive finish from Eduardo.

Dinamo could have caused more than a few sweaty palms had they converted numerous other chances, before in the end Arsenal's technical superiority showed through with Freddie Ljungberg equalising and Mathieu Flamini then tapping in a stoppage-time winner.

It was not until Henry's introduction just after the hour though that the Gunners began to step up the pressure.

However, the brilliant forward, so often his club's saviour, admits after such a hectic summer he does need time to get back to firing on all cylinders.

"The body is not quite ready yet," Henry said.

"I would love it to be tomorrow - but I have to take it slowly and if I can go out there and help the team, I will."

The Arsenal captain noted: "It is not that easy when you have only had 10 or 12 days of work and you go into the championship.

"To play for France and then against Dinamo was not easy, so we decided with the boss that I was only going to play 25 or 30 minutes."

Henry, 29, added: "I hope it (full fitness) can be as quickly as possible.

"Normally when you come back in pre-season you have played the likes of Barnet - and I struggle sometimes, even when playing Barnet.

"You have to prepare yourself for competitive games, and usually it takes a month or a month and a half to get going.

"I know it is important to be out there and to try to help the team.

"I try to give the best I can and obviously when I am fully fit and ready, I can give more."

Henry firmly believes the experiences of last season's fantastic European campaign will stand Wenger's emerging side in good stead as they look to reach the final of the Champions League again.

He said: "Usually the team who goes far in the Champions League, then the year after or for two years after, they come back again.

"But you never know what can happen, because last season (2005 defending champions) Liverpool lost against Benfica."

Henry declared: "We know we have to play better, obviously, and to play as a team.

"A lot of people are not fully fit. A lot of teams who had players in the World Cup are struggling at the beginning of the season.

"They are not playing that well and that is the way it is.

"But on the other side, we can look at what we did last year and use it in the Champions League this season."

Theo Walcott came off the Arsenal bench for the second match running.

The 17-year-old's direct play and injection of pace helped turned a draw into victory, his low cross setting up Flamini in injury time.

Henry has certainly been impressed by the youngster's contribution.

He said: "Theo has had the chance to show what he can do and is showing it.

"Sometimes we had a pretty good understanding and we were playing well together.

"We can keep up together because he is quick and I am quite quick. If he goes, I can keep up with him and if I go, he can keep up with me."

The Arsenal captain added: "I am happy for him because he has got a lot of stick and people have not seen him play yet.

"Once again he came on and got an assist - that is what the game is about.

"You can do whatever you want, but at the end of the season people look at how many assists and goals you score."

Arsenal return to domestic action at Manchester City on Saturday evening.

Chelsea's shock defeat at Middlesbrough on Wednesday will have given all the Barclays Premiership title hopefuls a lift.

Henry declared: "Everyone can look at that result and say, 'we can have a go'.

"It was a bit difficult to concentrate on the league because we had something at stake.

"The most important thing for us was to qualify for the Champions League and now we can see what we can do at Man City."

JOL EAGER TO AVOID DOWNING TALK

Downing - linked with Spurs
Tottenham coach Martin Jol has praised midfielder Teemu Tainio as he continues to be linked with Middlesbrough's Stewart Downing.

Jol steadfastly refuses to comment on speculation linking the club with another bid for England winger Downing and instead chose to praise the work of Tainio as a makeshift left-winger.

The Dutchman politely resists the temptation to reveal whether or not the north London club will spend some of the £18.6million from the sale of Michael Carrick to Manchester United, on highly-rated left-winger Downing.

Middlesbrough have rebuffed all Tottenham's previous advances for their prized asset and now talk in terms of £15million for the player who enjoyed limited success with England in the World Cup finals.

But any offer Spurs do make is unlikely to be above £8million for a player who remains far from the finished article.

But Tottenham, preparing for the visit of Everton on Saturday, clearly need more options on the left-hand side even though Jol continues to praise the work of Finland midfielder Tainio.

Jol is also ready to unleash the speed and trickery of Aaron Lennon on the left wing.

Lennon already terrorises Barclays Premiership left-backs with ease but Jol maintains the England teenager can do the same on the opposite flank.

With speculation mounting of a bid for Downing before the transfer window closes in a week, Jol said: "Maybe yes, maybe no. There are a couple of days left and we will have to wait and see. I don't want to talk about others' players."

The last time Jol refused to speak about a possible transfer target, Wigan full-back Pascal Chimbonda, the Lancashire club revealed hours later they had rejected Tottenham's bid.

However, it would be wrong to draw any conclusions from Jol's latest stance, especially as he remains adamant he is more than happy with the contribution of 'Tiger' Tainio.

He missed the defeat at Bolton on the opening day of the season with an ankle injury before playing a major part in their win over Sheffield United in midweek.

There is no doubt he provides an outlet for Spurs on the left but the lack of crosses into the penalty area from that flank was more than noticeable.

But Jol said: "I felt Teemu came in and gave us everything. They call him a 'Tiger'.

"He's got a lot of determination. He can play on the left and on the right or in midfield. He wants to win.

"For the last game I was happy that Teemu was there. If Teemu is there, we always play well.

"If he is there we have a face and that is what you need in a team. It's about team work and he is a team player. He was injured for the last three weeks so he couldn't play."

Jol, meanwhile, is sweating on the fitness of midfielder Jermaine Jenas and striker Dimitar Berbatov ahead of their clash with Everton.

Jenas failed to train today after collecting a knock on his toe while Berbatov is nursing an ankle injury.

Both players were on the scoresheet in their 2-0 win over Sheffield United and Jol remains hopeful they will recover in time.

Jol added: "Berbatov got a knock on his ankle but hopefully he will be okay.

"JJ did not train because he had a problem with his toe. We will have to wait and see but hopefully he will be available."

INJURIES CAUSE DOWIE CONCERN

Carson - impressive against Manchester United
Iain Dowie's first competitive match in charge of Charlton at The Valley ended in a not-too-unexpected defeat against Manchester United and was compounded by an injury crisis.

But the Addicks boss believes the spirit in his squad can inspire them to their first points of the campaign at home to unbeaten Bolton on Saturday.

Dowie admitted that last-minute back injuries to Uruguayan defender Gonzalo Sorondo, who has a small fracture in his spine, and new £3million signing Andy Reid and the suspension of £2million arrival Djimi Traore had an unsettling effect on the team before the 3-0 loss to United.

But he was full of praise for on-loan Liverpool goalkeeper Scott Carson, who was particularly impressive in keeping out one curling shot from Ryan Giggs in the first half.

"We did lots of things right for about an hour against United," said Dowie, who flew to Manchester for the Red Devils' 5-1 hammering of Fulham immediately after Charlton's opening-day defeat by West Ham.

"But we didn't press enough, and they have got players that can hurt you. The manner of their last two goals was disappointing after Jonathan Fortune just slipped over for the first one and Darren Fletcher took great advantage it.

"Also, we didn't make enough effort to pass the ball - which we had talked about before the game. We also switched off at key defensive moments."

He added: "To lose Djimi, Reidy and Sorondo before the game unsettled us a little bit.

"Gonzalo has got a small fracture in his back and will be out for four to six weeks, while Andy couldn't get out of bed on Wednesday morning because of a back spasm.

"But we've got a good, together group here - and the atmosphere and support was terrific on Wednesday night. We will need to get that back on Saturday against Bolton."

Dowie saluted a series of superb saves by Carson, 20, whose move from Anfield has kept Norway international Thomas Myhre was on the bench.

"Scotty has played well," he said.

"But we've got two number ones at this club. I hold Thomas in high regard. I rate him very highly, but Scott's just got the nod at the moment."

Traore is likely to return from a one-match ban in place of Fortune against Bolton while Marcus Bent could threaten Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's starting role, the free transfer from Middlesbrough looking below-par in his two games so far.

REDKNAPP STILL IN THE MARKET

Redknapp - still looking to strengthen
Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp is still trying to beat next Friday's transfer deadline after midfielder Pedro Mendes was laid out and spent the night in a Manchester hospital after a crunching challenge by City's Ben Thatcher.

Redknapp is already without strikers Lomana LuaLua "long term" with ankle ligament damage, Ivica Mornar (hamstring) and goalkeepers Dean Kiely (thigh) and Jamie Ashdown (broken thumb).

Nick Jordan, 16, is currently doing substitutes' bench duty as cover for new signing David James but Redknapp is reluctant to use up one of his two remaining loan-deal allowances on a short-term replacement.

He has been pipped by Newcastle for £10million Nigeria striker Obafemi Martins and his bid to sign Udinese midfielder Sulley Muntari has been blocked by the Italian club's demand for a similar fee.

Now he has been linked with a move for Egyptian target man Mido, who left Tottenham after an 18-month loan deal finished at the end of last season and failed to agree terms with Blackburn.

His Italian club Roma are said to want £5million for his permanent transfer - money which Pompey could easily afford with the financial backing of new owner Alexandre Gaydamak but Redknapp has promised: "I won't spend his money unnecessarily."

He admits to missing out on big targets like Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Nicolas Anelka (Fenerbahce), Curtis Davies (West Brom) and Stilian Petrov (Celtic) because "clubs just don't want to sell their good players".

But even with the return of Serbian winger Ognjen Koroman on a year-long loan from Russian club Terek Grozny, Redknapp has only three fit strikers - Benjani Mwaruwari, Svetoslav Todorov and Kanu - and two left-sided players - Matt Taylor and skipper Dejan Stefanovic.

Pompey have breathing space before their next game which is at Middlesbrough, conquerors of champions Chelsea, at the Riverside on Monday night, but Mendes - who will continue to be under medical and neurological" supervision for the next few days must already be a doubt for the trip.

Redknapp said: "We need at last two more (players) in but what we need and what we get are two different things. We have brought five in but four were free (transfers or loans) plus David James.

"We need two more before the deadline but it is very difficult to find players. We need some pace up front."

Yet Redknapp is reasonably satisfied with Pompey's unbeaten start - despite a dull, goalless encounter at City.

He said: "It was a scrappy old game. Four points, great start. I would like to see us play a bit more football than that. I want us to keep the ball a bit better.

"Results have been OK. Saturday was a good performance, but at City we just scrapped.

"At least we have looked solid. David James has come in and done well. Sol Campbell has been solid with Linvoy (Primus), which is encouraging. We had two of the best chances at City and could have had a penalty but, overall, it wasn't great."