MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren has promised potential England international Stewart Downing will not get carried away with his new-found status.

ALEX FERGUSON has told John O’Shea he must fight for his future at Manchester United after confirming £6.9 million signing Gabriel Heinze will start the season as first-choice left-back.

PREMIERSHIP holders Manchester United took time off from their regular training to play host to some of their biggest fans yesterday.

PERHAPS the best piece of advice ever handed out to football referees came from Alan Hardaker, a much-respected former Football League secretary.

VFB STUTTGART continued their impressive Champions League debut with a 3-1 win at Panathinaikos, and share top spot in Group E with Manchester United.

EUROPE’S top clubs are set to take their fight for compensation for the wages of players on international duty to the European Commission.

MANCHESTER UNITED will play Celtic in Roy Keane's testimonial at Old Trafford on Tuesday, May 9.

MANCHESTER United manager Alex Ferguson has blasted Patrick Vieira's claims that Ruud van Nistelrooy is "a cheat and a coward."

WIGAN manager Paul Jewell has vowed to defend Jose Mourinho if the FA charges the Chelsea boss with misconduct after he accused Lee McCulloch of "cheating".

PORTUGAL coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has named his squad for the World Cup qualifiers with Latvia and Estonia.

SPANISH star Xabi Alonso, who makes his Liverpool debut at Bolton in the Premiership, admits he is in awe of skipper Steven Gerrard.

Man Utd 3 Dinamo Bucharest 0 (Aggregate: 5-1)

LIVERPOOL manager Gerard Houllier has dismissed as “absolute rubbish” newspaper claims that he has been offered a job setting up a football academy for Soccer Australia.

GARY NEVILLE believes Manchester United face the prospect of kissing their Champions League dream goodbye for another season if they suffer a ‘Battle of Britain’ nightmare against Rangers.

THE girlfriend of Manchester United and England football star Gary Neville accepted “substantial” libel damages yesterday over newspaper allegations that she was unfaithful to him during the Euro 2004 championship.

ALEX FERGUSON believes the exertion of the Christmas period took its toll as Arsenal and Manchester United could only produce a stalemate at Highbury last night.

Chelsea 0 Liverpool 1

SOCCER star Niall Quinn is no stranger to heading balls into the back of the net. But now he hopes he and others who’ve played leading roles in sport can provide a safety net for young Irish footballers who don’t make the cut and return empty-handed from Britain.

THERE is no way of knowing for certain whether the arrow of political correctness has penetrated the shoulder, let alone the heart, of professional football. Somehow you very much doubt it. There remains something distinctly primeval about the game.

CLAUDIO RANIERI fears his players are trying too hard to make an impression and that it could prevent Chelsea from mounting a serious challenge to Manchester United's and Arsenal’s bids for trophies this season.