Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton put himself in line for a place in the Blues’ squad for Saturday’s trip to Portsmouth with a 45-minute reserve team run-out against Leeds last night.

China international Sun Jihai is set to deny Irishman Willo Flood a first Barclays Premiership start at Southampton.

Manchester City full-back Sun Jihai has received the perfect 27th birthday present from Kevin Keegan with the offer of a new contract.

Manchester United chief executive David Gill has admitted Rio Ferdinand made "a serious mistake" when he missed a drugs test on September 23.

REPENTANT Rio Ferdinand has thrown his European Championship dream at the mercy of a three-man Football Association appeals panel.

England defender Gary Neville has urged coach Sven-Goran Eriksson to pledge his future to the national team so the players can concentrate on winning major honours.

GARY NEVILLE has revealed the fall-out from the Rio Ferdinand affair still rankles with the England squad and that the players were closer than first thought to pulling out of the crucial Euro 2004 qualifier in Turkey.

The Football Association today refuted reports they had sought the maximum two-year ban for Rio Ferdinand as punishment for missing a drugs test.

Rio Ferdinand has received the backing of the PFA, Nike and the legal profession over his intention to appeal against his eight-month drugs ban.

Players’ union deputy chief executive Mick McGuire believes Rio Ferdinand was robbed of a fair hearing the moment his missed test became public knowledge.

Olympic gold-medallist Sebastian Coe believes Rio Ferdinand only has himself to blame for the severity of his sentence for missing a drugs test.

Rio Ferdinand is determined to ignore worldwide opinion and press ahead with his appeal against an eight-month drugs ban setting Manchester United and the Football Association on a collision course which could end in the High Court.

RIO FERDINAND will appeal against an eight-month ban – branded “savage and unprecedented” by his club – for failing to take a drugs test.

Rio Ferdinand will appeal against an eight-month ban – branded “savage and unprecedented” by his club – for failing to take a drugs test.

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand was today banned for eight months, starting from Monday, January 12, for missing a drugs test.

Alex Ferguson swept into Bolton’s Reebok Stadium this lunchtime to lend his weight to Rio Ferdinand’s battle to avoid suspension over his failure to take a drugs test.

Rio Ferdinand arrived early for the second day of his Football Association hearing at Bolton’s Reebok Stadium desperately hoping the verdict due to be delivered this afternoon will be favourable.

Rio Ferdinand was set to head back to the Reebok Stadium this morning still hoping he will be allowed to make it three appearances in a month.

THE FIRST day of Rio Ferdinand’s disciplinary hearing ended in a wall of silence at Bolton’s Reebok Stadium last night.

The first day of Rio Ferdinand’s disciplinary hearing ended in a wall of silence at Bolton’s Reebok Stadium tonight.

Rio Ferdinand arrived an hour early for his misconduct hearing at Bolton’s Reebok Stadium.

RIO FERDINAND heads to Bolton for the biggest battle of his career today — with chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association, Gordon Taylor, believing the verdict has already been delivered against Manchester United’s record signing.

RIO FERDINAND’S drugs case could force the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) to pull out of their official testing programme with UK Sport.

Rio Ferdinand’s drugs case could force the Professional Footballers’ Association to pull out of their official testing programme with UK Sport.

UK SPORT last night described Manchester City manager Kevin Keegan’s claim that a Muslim player was forced to break the Ramadan fast in order to provide a urine sample as “outrageous”.

Rio Ferdinand will still be available to play for Manchester United even if he is charged with misconduct for missing a drugs test.

Manchester City manager Kevin Keegan could face disciplinary action for a verbal attack on the referee during his side’s defeat to Blackburn in the Worthington Cup last night.