Gascoigne on comeback trail in Emirates

PAUL GASCOIGNE is back in training and hoping to win a contract with wealthy Al-Jazira after a month on trial with the United Arab Emirates capital club.

The much-travelled and troubled “Gazza” flew into Dubai this week on a new mission to prove himself.

He is set to play for the Abu Dhabi outfit against Qatar’s Al-Arabi who boast former Argentine start Gabriel Batistuta among their ranks, but a date for the clash has still to be agreed.

“I should be here until Friday or Saturday, after which I plan to go over to Abu Dhabi and join Al-Jazira in their training sessions,” said Gascoigne.

The former England star, has not played professionally for nearly six months since leaving Chinese B team Gansu Tianma.

“Now that I’m here I want to give it my best shot,” said the 36-year-old.

“I will be back in prime form soon,” he predicted. “Even for my age I don’t think my legs are that old.”

But he’ll have to prove that.

“There are a lot of things to be considered before we put pen to paper for a contract,” Gascoigne admitted. “Nothing has been sorted out as yet.”

Meanwhile, Stan Collymore is also keen to make a playing comeback next year and says that a number of clubs have already expressed an interest. The former Liverpool and Aston Villa striker was one of the most talented strikers of his generation and was tipped for international honours.

But a series of off-field problems culminated in him retiring from the game at the age of 30 after a move to Spanish side Oviedo went wrong.

He will be free to play professionally again in January 2004 when a FIFA ban imposed on him for retiring while under contract is lifted and he insists a number of clubs are interested in giving him another chance.

Collymore said: “The fact that clubs have shown an interest has whetted my appetite. When I said I was retiring that was the intention, but with the caveat that if somewhere in the future an opportunity came along, I would consider it.

“But it would have to be the right offer for both parties. It’s not a question of money, but purely for football reasons. I have missed the playing side. Football has been part of my life since I was eight years old.

“But one of the reasons I have been happy to stay out as long as I have is the peripheral side, the demands on players from outside football and the scrutiny they come under. I miss the playing side, but I don’t miss all the other stuff.”