Ferguson gets his way as Saha joins United

LOUIS SAHA is expected to complete his move to Manchester United at the end of the week, dashing Chris Coleman’s hopes of keeping him at Fulham.

Barely a fortnight after Cottagers' owner Mohamed-al-Fayed told Alex Ferguson "read my lips Louis Saha is not for sale", the billionaire owner of Harrods has accepted the futility of trying to halt the United juggernaut.

Although United were at pains to stress last night that the deal to turn the 13-goal striker into a Red Devil was still subject to a number of conditions, they are only believed to be the medical and personal terms, which should present few problems.

Ferguson will no doubt be delighted with the capture of his number one transfer target, who will bolster his side's Champions League campaign when it resumes against Porto next month.

The situation has not been helped by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's slow recovery from a knee operation, with Ferguson hinting that the Norwegian star, who has been out of action since the middle of September, will not return before the end of the month.

After having one firm bid turned down, Ferguson is believed to have instructed chief executive David Gill to increase the offer and Fulham have bowed to the inevitable.