PFA to offer help to bad boy Barton

JOEY BARTON will be offered help by the Professional Footballers’ Association after being suspended by Manchester City following a violent training ground altercation with team-mate Ousmane Dabo.

City boss Stuart Pearce acted swiftly to ban Barton until the end of the season following the incident, which left Dabo requiring hospital treatment for cuts to his face.

Amid growing speculation that City are now ready to off-load their controversial midfielder, who has three years left on his contract, the PFA are to seek out the full facts regarding the incident.