PORTUGAL coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has named his provisional squad for European Championship in June.

FOR all of Alex Ferguson’s dogged insistence that Juan Sebastian Veron is staying at Manchester United there is more than a sneaking suspicion his words are mere bluster.

JOHN HARTSON will face former team-mate Rio Ferdinand determined to leave his mark on the biggest international match of his life.

THE prospect of a bidding war erupting for Manchester United was downplayed yesterday with the man identified as a potential suitor urging caution about a takeover.

Exeter City 0 Manchester United 2

BAYER LEVERKUSEN crushed Dynamo Kiev 3-0 with second-half goals from Juan, Andriy Voronin and Marko Babic to reach the knock-out phase of the Champions League and eliminate the Ukrainians from Group B.

ALEX FERGUSON bundled Cristiano Ronaldo aboard Manchester United’s charter flight to Turkey with a reminder to the precocious Portuguese teenager that he is still just a kid.

CHELSEA’S flying Dutchman Arjen Robben puts his new found scoring success down to living the quiet life off the pitch.

A BRITISH mother said yesterday the public had been too quick to condemn Michael Jackson over his TV admission that he still shared his bedroom with young boys.

WHEN it comes to timing you can be sure the Swiss have covered all the angles. As the countdown clock on the Austria-Switzerland EURO 2008 bid website clicks down to mere hours and minutes, decision day is almost here and the Alpine countries’ campaign seems to have peaked at just the right time.

DWIGHT YORKE says he is desperate to re-establish himself as one of the best strikers in the Premiership after his cut-price move to Blackburn.

THE future is looking bleak for the man once known as Captain Fantastic.

ARSENAL boss Arsene Wenger declared that his side can win the FA Cup the hard way again – even though he is set to rest key players in a quarter-final clash against Chelsea.

LIVERPOOL skipper Steven Gerrard has urged the club’s frustrated fans to point an accusing finger at the players rather than manager Gerard Houllier.

CLAIMS that Alex Ferguson hired an SAS task force to spy on his players were yesterday dismissed by the Manchester United manager during a visit to Co Mayo.

CHELSEA are considering whether to raise their offer for midfielder Emerson after Roma revealed they had already refused a £17.5 million bid from the Blues for the Brazil captain.

THE FA are expected to formally charge Rio Ferdinand today over his failure to attend a drugs test.

MERSEYSIDE police are almost certain to let the FA deal with the allegations involving Manchester United stars at Everton over the weekend.

THE FA yesterday announced they have begun a formal review of the Rio Ferdinand affair and made clear their intention to seek a retraction of some of the damaging criticism aimed at the organisation.

Panathinaikos 0 Man Utd 1